The Navy has quietly relieved the commanding officer of a naval destroyer originally deployed as part of the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group, USNI News has learned.
The Navy relieved Cmdr. Caitlin Cunningham on September 27 due to a loss of confidence, a Navy spokesperson confirmed to USNI News on Tuesday. Cunningham’s firing came just under a year into his tenure as captain of the USS. Michael Murphy (DDG-112).
No additional information was immediately available. Cunningham assumed command of the destroyer on October 24, 2025, prior to the ship’s deployment.
Michael Murphy deployed on December 1 to serve as part of the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group. Michael Murphybased at Pearl Harbor, initially sailed to the Indo-Pacific region as a destroyer escort before heading to the Middle East following orders from the Carrier Strike Group in support of Operation Epic Fury and the ongoing naval blockade.
USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) departed the Middle East in August with escort USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG-121) and A.S.S. Robert Smalls (CG-62). Michael Murphy stayed behind.
The destroyer left the Middle East in mid-October, heading to the Philippines in late October and then to Guam in early November, according to Navy photos.
The destroyer is scheduled to return home this week, bringing the ship’s deployment to 346 days, about 24 days longer than the Lincoln. The Navy has warned families that 10- to 11-month deployments will be the new normal for the next two years.
On Tuesday, the commander of Naval Surface Group Middle Pacific posted a video to Facebook showing planning to return home for Michael Murphy. The video did not include a date for his return to Pearl Harbor.
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