Vice Adm. Scott Gray, right, head of Navy Installations Command, greets Capt. Wendel Penetrante during a visit to Changi Naval Base, Singapore, Jan. 23, 2026. (Moises Sandoval/U.S. Navy)
YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — The Navy has relieved the top three leaders of its largest overseas ship repair facility, marking the second leadership shakeup at the command in less than two years.
Capt. Wendel Penetrante, commander of U.S. Naval Ship Repair Facility and Japan Regional Maintenance Center; Capt. Edwin Catubig, the executive officer; and Master Chief Petty Officer Thomas Howell were removed from their positions Wednesday by Rear Adm. Dan Lannamann, head of Navy Regional Maintenance Center, according to a news release that day.
The Navy cited a “loss of confidence in their ability to command,” the standard phrase the service uses when removing senior leaders. No additional details were provided.
“There is no impact to the command’s mission as a result of these reliefs,” the release said.
Capt. Edwin Catubig makes a toast during the U.S. Naval Ship Repair Facility and Japan Regional Maintenance Center's New Year celebration at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, Jan. 16, 2026. (Aya Stewart/U.S. Navy)
The removals come 20 months after the previous commander and executive officer, Capt. Zaldy Valenzuela and Cmdr. Art Palalay, were also relieved for a loss of confidence in October 2024.
Lannamann, then a Navy captain, temporarily assumed command after those removals until Penetrante took over in February 2025.
The facility is considered a critical component of U.S. naval operations in the Indo-Pacific. The command provides intermediate- and depot-level maintenance for Navy surface ships assigned to the 7th Fleet and supports operations throughout Japan and Southeast Asia.
The organization employs approximately 120 military personnel, 325 civilian and 2,500 Japanese workers, according to the Navy. In addition to Yokosuka, it operates facilities at Sasebo Naval Base, Japan, and in Singapore.
Master Chief Petty Officer Thomas Howell, front, of the U.S. Naval Ship Repair Facility and Japan Regional Maintenance Center, watches the USS Benfold come out of dry dock at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, Feb. 18, 2024. (Erin Jazmine Reyes/U.S. Navy)
Penetrante highlighted the command’s 2025 accomplishments during a New Year’s event in January, including more than 714,000 man-days of ship repair and modernization work, support for maintenance operations in Singapore and emergency response efforts following a fire aboard the amphibious transport dock USS New Orleans.
Spokespeople for Naval Sea Systems Command did not immediately respond Wednesday to requests for additional information about the leadership changes.
Pending permanent replacements, Capt. John Bauer, supervisor of salvage and diving, has assumed the commander’s duties, according to the release.
Cmdr. David Reinhardt, the waterfront operations officer, is serving as acting executive officer, while Master Chief Petty Officer David Marcus of the Navy Regional Maintenance Center has assumed the role of acting command master chief.
