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More than 15 chiefs aboard the littoral combat ship USS Manchester became involved in an unauthorized Starlink installation called “STINKY” before a 2023 West Pacific deployment. The chiefs used the private network for personal connectivity, concealed it from the chain of command, and—according to a Navy investigation reported by Navy Times—used it while the ship was underway. Then-Command Senior Chief Grisel Marrero was court-martialed and reduced to E-7; other involved chiefs received administrative punishment rather than court-martial convictions.
What happened aboard USS Manchester?
In March 2023, as USS Manchester prepared for deployment, Marrero and a co-conspirator bought a Starlink High Performance Kit for a reported $2,800 using a personal credit card. They arranged its installation aboard the ship and created a network known as “STINKY,” according to the Navy investigative account obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request and reported by Navy Times on September 3, 2024.
The network was not an approved Navy communications service. Chiefs controlled the Starlink app, supplied the password directly to selected users, and restricted access to the chiefs’ mess. Navy Times reported that users checked sports scores, texted family members and streamed movies; ordinary sailors and officers were not given access.
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How the network was discovered
On August 18, 2023, a civilian installing an authorized Starshield communications system noticed the Starlink dish. The terminal was removed that day but was reportedly installed again. Marrero ultimately confessed to the commanding officer on August 26.
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Why an unauthorized Starlink connection was a security problem
A consumer satellite terminal on a warship is not simply another Wi-Fi access point. It introduces equipment, software, accounts and data paths that have not gone through the Navy’s authorization, configuration and monitoring processes.
The Navy investigation stated that installing and using Starlink without higher-headquarters approval posed “a serious risk to mission, operational security, and information security.” It also warned: “The danger such systems pose to the crew, the ship and the Navy cannot be understated.” Those are risk findings, not proof that the Manchester network caused a specific compromise. The public reporting does not quantify damage or establish that classified information was breached.
Unauthorized versus approved communications
| Issue | Approved Navy system | Manchester’s “STINKY” network |
|---|---|---|
| Authorization | Installed and operated through Navy command and technical channels | Installed without higher-headquarters approval, according to the investigation |
| Access | Controlled under Navy account and security rules | Password distributed directly to selected chiefs |
| Purpose | Mission communications | Sports, family texting and movie streaming, as reported by Navy Times |
| Oversight | Subject to Navy configuration and monitoring | Maintained through a Starlink app controlled by Marrero, according to the report |
What investigators said about concealment
The investigative account describes more than an unauthorized installation. Navy Times reported that participants repeatedly denied the network’s existence, changed its name to resemble a printer and diverted a suggestion-box comment about it. The report also says participants made false statements and that Starlink usage charts were altered to suggest the terminal operated only in port.
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Investigators compared those explanations with the actual billing-cycle statements and reported that they showed use while the ship was underway. These are findings as recounted by Navy Times from the Navy records; the newspaper said it had not received the complete investigation file and supplemental enclosures.
What happened to the senior chief who arranged it?
At a March 2024 special court-martial, Marrero pleaded guilty to willful dereliction-of-duty specifications and two false-official-statement specifications. She was found guilty of obstruction of justice as well. Navy Times reported that the sentence reduced her to pay grade E-7.
The court-martial result applies to Marrero. It should not be described as a court-martial conviction for every chief connected to the network.
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Were other Manchester chiefs punished?
The investigation identified more than 15 Manchester chiefs who participated in purchasing, installing, using, concealing or failing to report the system. According to Navy Times, those who used it, paid for it, helped hide it or knew about it received administrative nonjudicial punishment at commodore’s mast.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsThe publicly reported account does not provide a complete, person-by-person list of punishments. The distinction matters: Marrero faced a special court-martial, while the other reported cases were handled administratively.
What the case does—and does not—establish
Established by the reported records
- An unauthorized Starlink terminal was installed aboard USS Manchester before a 2023 deployment.
- The chiefs-only network was used for personal connectivity and was reportedly active while underway.
- Participants concealed the system and provided misleading explanations, according to the investigation as reported by Navy Times.
- Marrero was convicted at a March 2024 special court-martial and reduced to E-7.
- Other involved chiefs received administrative nonjudicial punishment, according to the report.
Not established in the public reporting
- A specific cyberattack, classified-data disclosure or operational failure caused by the terminal.
- The exact punishment imposed on every other involved chief.
- That every chief connected to the network was court-martialed.
- That the Navy permits this configuration for ordinary personal use aboard ships.
Why the incident matters beyond one ship
The episode illustrates how an apparently modest convenience can bypass a military organization’s trust boundaries. A privately purchased terminal can create an unmanaged route between a deployed platform, a commercial service and users’ personal devices. Restricting access to senior personnel does not make an unapproved system safe; it can instead make the exception harder to detect and easier to rationalize.
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The Navy investigation characterized bringing the purchased Starlink aboard as an overt act supporting “a criminal conspiracy.” That characterization belongs to the investigation’s account of the agreement and should not be generalized into a finding that every person who encountered the network committed the same offense.
How the public account was assembled
The central September 3, 2024 Navy Times report is based on Navy investigative records obtained under FOIA. A June 3, 2024 Navy Times report covered Marrero’s court-martial using charge and trial-summary records and Navy comment. Futurism published a secondary summary on September 6. Because the full investigation and supplemental enclosures were not available to Navy Times at the time of its September report, details should be read as the findings reported from those records, not as a complete public release of the case file.
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