Materials recovered through a Freedom of Information Act request by Military.com show male sailors aboard a U.S. Navy submarine compiled a sexually explicit “rape list” targeting female crew members.
The list was compiled by the Gold crew of the guided-missile submarine Florida, the second submarine to integrate enlisted women, and stored on the sub’s internal network. A male crew member who was aware of it printed it and gave it to a female officer.
“The sexually explicit list describes various USS Florida females by appearances, characteristics and various sexual acts the creators of the list wish to perform with them,” according to a 74-page investigative report. “The list describes aggressive sexual activity, but does not reference non-consensual acts.”
A second list which was uncovered ranked the sub’s 32 female Gold crewmembers using a star system.
The commanding officer of the Florida’s Gold crew, Captain Gregory Kercher, did not open a formal investigation or discuss the allegations with his command. A Navy investigation into Kercher’s handling of the situation found “trust up and down the chain of command was nonexistent,” according to Military.com. Kercher was fired in August.
“Rumors of a ‘rape list’ were promulgated throughout the crew, significant numbers of females became concerned for their safety, and male members who learned of the list were equally repulsed,” Rear Admiral Jeff Jablon wrote to his superior days before Kercher’s relief.
An undisclosed number of sailors faced administrative punishment in connection to the list and at least two are no longer affiliated with the U.S. military, Navy officials said.
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