The Navy Found a Starlink Antenna on a Battleship. This Discovery Proved Key in the ‘STINKY' Scandal, Which Ended in a Court Martial

In early 2023, USS Manchester Commander Grisel Marrero decided she wanted Wi-Fi on her battleship. Apparently, it was too hard for her to go months without Internet access.

The Wi-Fi network, which was named "STINKY," would end up costing her a court martial.

According to NavyTimes, Commander Marrero hatched the plan with several other members of the ship’s command. Together, they purchased a Starlink antenna for $2,800 and quietly installed it on one of the ship’s outer decks, well out of sight.

In this way, a small group of high-ranking officers had access to the Internet during the six months of their mission, between March and August 2023. However, Marrero made the situation worse.

Several crew members who didn’t have access to the Wi-Fi network discovered it. The rumors eventually caught the interest of some officers not involved in the plan, but they didn’t find the device. Furthermore, those officers didn’t look for it outside the ship because they didn’t think it was a Starlink antenna.

Some officers questioned Marrero about the alleged Wi-Fi network on the ship, but she denied it existed. To avoid further questioning, she changed the network’s name from “STINKY” to the name of a wireless printer, even though the Navy didn’t equip the USS Manchester with these devices.

Some crew members decided to question the commander about the battleship’s Wi-Fi network again, but she said there was none. Marrero even got rid of a comment someone wrote in the ship’s official suggestion box.

There was another problem: The Wi-Fi network didn’t provide coverage throughout the ship. So, during a stop in Pearl Harbor in late April or early May, the team that hatched the plan bought repeaters and a cable to install on the ship for better coverage.

Finally, on Aug. 18, 2023, a civilian technician from the Naval Information Warfare Center installed—this time with official approval—a Starlink Starshield antenna specifically for military use. During the installation, he discovered the Starlink antenna that Marrero and her cronies had secretly installed.

The Navy relieved Marrero of her duties in late 2023 and found her guilty in a court martial held in the spring of this year. In addition, it demoted the commander from an officer with an E-8 ranking to an E-7, which meant she lost responsibility and seniority.

The investigation involved more than 15 commanding officers of the USS Manchester, whom the Navy didn’t court-martial but punished with unspecified administrative charges.

The Navy prohibits the installation of unauthorized Wi-Fi systems on its ships. Commander Marrero’s actions also occurred on a mission in the Western Pacific, where they could have posed a risk given existing tensions with China.

One more interesting detail. As Ars Technica points out, a few years ago Starlink owner Elon Musk posted a series of messages on X joking about the default name Starlink-generated Wi-Fi networks would have. He explained that the name would be “STINKY.”

However, the service’s FAQ states that the “default Wi-Fi network name appears as ‘STARLINK’ in device Wi-Fi settings.” An earlier version of the Starlink website makes it clear that the name can be either “STARLINK” or “STINKY.”

Image | America’s Navy

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