(3 of 3)
Still, morale and discipline were not always perfectly paired. Gemmill strongly discouraged dating, but officers admit many crew members secretly fraternized. Half a dozen couples went to the captain and announced they had fallen in love. Last month a male and a female crew member videotaped themselves having sex in a ship's compartment. The man was caught after he showed the tape to other sailors. "We have taken the focus away from being a potent fighting ship and made the Ike a showboat," grumbled a lieutenant. "We succeeded in this deployment, but would we succeed in combat?"
The Navy says disciplinary problems were quickly resolved. The two involved in the videotape incident were kicked out of the Navy. The harassment cases were settled by officers on the ship and deemed minor. Investigators could not find enough evidence that the female crew member was sexually assaulted. Gemmill says the total number of disciplinary cases was less than on previous cruises, while the carrier's maintenance levels and performance improved. Defenders of the new policy point out that the pregnancy rate aboard the Ike was far lower than the overall pregnancy rate for Navy women serving on land. And the six pairs of lovebirds? They were split up-half transferred to shore jobs, half remaining on board. The Navy is willing to tolerate love-as long as love doesn't get in the way of fighting. ยน