Summary Senior US Navy officer demoted for unauthorized Starlink network on ship. Starlink satellite installed on the vessel's weather deck without permission. Former Command Master Chief covered up the network's existence with a web of deception.
A senior US Navy officer has been demoted after setting up an unauthorized Starlink network on a naval warship. Grisel Marrero, former Command Master Chief (CMC) of the USS Manchester, had the dish installed on the ship's weather deck and shared access to the satellite network with other senior enlisted leaders onboard. US Navy chief rebuked for Starlink racket According to a report by NavyTimes , Marrero and other Navy chiefs conspired to install a Starlink satellite onboard a US Navy ship - the USS Manchester, an Independence-class littoral combat ship - prior to its deployment in the West Pacific in April 2023.
Private internet access can be hard to come by as a US Navy sailor, with intermittent connectivity and low bandwidth the norm when sailing the high seas. Manchester's ship leaders came up with a clever yet unauthorized solution by installing their own satellite dish for private use. Apparently, the entire Chiefs' Mess - consisting of over 15 senior enlisted personnel - was aware of the secret WiFi system, despite the obvious security threat it could pose to the ship's operations.
A US Navy investigation stated, "The installation and usage of Starlink, without the approval of higher headquarters, poses a serious risk to mission, operational security, and information security." The private WiFi network was named "STINKY" (apparently, this is the default network name for Starlink) - unsurprisingly, the network started to attract attention from others on the ship who noticed its presence. Records show that Marrero and an unnamed conspirator ordered a $2,800 Starlink High Performance Kit in March 2023, and even reached out to Starlink to try and speed up delivery before the ship's deployment.
The service's $1,000 monthly bill would then be paid on the Chief Petty Officer Association’s debit card after the satellite was secretly installed on the ship's weather deck. The USS Manchester's former executive officer, Commander Matthew Yokeley, eventually heard the rumors of an unauthorized WiFi network onboard and informed the ship's commanding officer, Commander Colleen Moore. A web of deception When confronted, Marrero repeatedly denied the existence of the network and would rename it to resemble the name of a wireless printer.
The former CMC even addressed the ship during an all-hands call to confirm there was no secret WiFi network onboard. Navy personnel conducted multiple searches of the vessel but found nothing. However, a civilian from the Naval Information Warfare Center contracted to install a Starshield system eventually discovered the illicit Starlink satellite, prompting Marrero to write " the gig is up " in a text message to a co-conspirator.
However, the lies didn't stop there. Marrero would claim that the network was installed for morale purposes, despite it only being selectively available for a handful of senior figures on the ship. She also falsified Starlink usage statistics to make it look like the network was only used while in port.
The Navy investigation deemed her behavior as demonstrating a "deep level of manipulation." Marrero was relieved of her duties soon after the deception was uncovered, and later convicted at a court-martial in March and demoted to chief petty officer. High-speed internet on the water According to Starlink's website, customers purchasing one of its 'Starlink for Boats' packages can expect download speeds of between 40-220+ Mbps and latency levels below 99 ms.
The company offers three packages for boat owners - Mobile Priority 50GB for $320 per month, Mobile Priority 1TB for $1,270 per month or Mobile Priority 5TB for $5,280 per month - with reports suggesting the Chiefs' Mess opted for the 1TB package. Starlink is rolling out for aviation and more and more airlines are announcing their plans to install it on their fleets..
