The commander of a US nuclear submarine faked his own death to end an affair with a woman he had got pregnant.
Michael Ward, 43, has been relieved of command of the USS Pittsburgh after the woman, 23, contacted the US navy after receiving a letter saying that he had been killed in the line of duty.
The letter said: “I am extremely sorry to tell you that he is gone. We tried everything we could to save him. I cannot say more.”
The woman, who later lost the baby, went to Mr Ward’s home to offer condolences to his family but discovered that he had simply moved house. He has been reprimanded by the navy.
Mr Ward, who is married with children, met the woman on an online dating site and they exchanged emails before spending the weekend together while he was on training operations in Norfolk, Virginia.
