USS Georgia Nuclear submarine captain Geoffrey Patterson fired four days after DUI arrest

Navy Captain Geoffrey Patterson, 53, was arrested for driving under the influence on January 8  Four days later, the Navy relieved him as captain of the USS Georgia nuclear submarine, citing a 'loss of confidence' 

The captain of the USS Georgia nuclear submarine was fired four days after being charged with drunk driving near his Navy base.

Geoffrey Patterson, 53, was arrested on January 8 in Camden County, Georgia, and relieved of his duties on January 12.

The captain was booked shortly after midnight on charges of driving under the influence, improper lane change and driving without insurance.  He was released on a bail totaling $1,864, jail records show.

In a statement on January 15, the Navy said Patterson was removed from his position due to a ‘loss of confidence’.

USS Georgia Captain Geoffrey Patterson, 53, (pictured center) was relieved of his duties on January 12, four days after he was arrested for a DUI

Following Patterson’s firing, the Navy said that it made the decision due to a ‘loss of confidence’ in his abilities

The Navy’s statement continued: ‘Navy commanding officers are held to high standards of personal and professional conduct.

‘They are expected to uphold the highest standards of responsibility, reliability, and leadership, and the Navy holds them accountable when they fall short of those standards.’

Patterson began his military career as a listed sailor in the Navy, after graduating with a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

He rose through the ranks on both the USS Georgia and USS Maryland, and also obtained a masters degree in national security and strategic studies from the US Naval War College in Rhode Island.

The naval officer took control of the USS Georgia’s Blue Crew in May 2022.

US Navy submarine crews rotate command between Blue and Gold Crews, and the military said no operations were hampered by Patterson’s exit – with the submarine under the command of Gold Crew Captain Christopher Osborn.

Rear Admiral Thomas ‘TR’ Buchanan has replaced him in charge of the Georgia’s Blue Crew, Navy Capt. 

The USS Georgia (pictured) is one of the Navy’s premier vessels, and has the ability to launch guided-missiles from the depths

His arrest occurred close to the Kings Bay naval submarine base, which houses all of the East Coast’s Ohio-class submarines, reports NavyTimes.

The USS Georgia is one of just four of its kind used in the US military, with Ohio-class submarines offering ‘unprecedented strike and special operation mission capabilities from a steal, clandestine platform’, describes the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service.

The 15-crew submarine is one of the Navy’s premier vessels and can carry up to 154 tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles.