In a new twist to a widening tale of ethical lapses, the Navy is investigating cheating allegations against about one-fifth of its trainers at a school for naval nuclear power reactor operators.
The Navy said its implicated sailors are accused of having cheated on written tests they must pass to be certified as instructors at a nuclear propulsion school at Charleston, S.C.
Adm. John Richardson, director of the Navy’s nuclear propulsion program, said an undisclosed number of senior sailors are alleged to have provided test information to their peers.
He was not more specific, but one official said the information was shared from home computers, which could be a violation of security rules because information about nuclear reactors operations is classified.
‘‘That'll be an active part of the investigation to fully understand’’ the extent of any security rule violations, Richardson said.
The last time the Navy had such a cheating scandal involving its nuclear reactor operators was in 2010 when the USS Memphis lost about 10 percent of its crew to disciplinary measures after a cheating ring was discovered.
Richardson said the alleged cheating came to light when a senior enlisted sailor at the training site reported it to higher authorities. Richardson said the unidentified sailor ‘‘recognized that this was wrong’’ and chose to report it.
The matter was still under investigation by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/2014/02/05/exam-cheating-scandal-hits-navy-nuclear-force/QlVY8rIMkdtUcytfGnru6J/story.html