The commanding officer and senior enlisted sailor on the Pearl Harbor-based submarine USS Columbia were relieved of duties Tuesday for "shortfalls in professional performance" leading to a loss of confidence in their ability to serve in positions of command authority, the Navy said.

Cmdr. Dennis J. Klein and chief of the boat Master Chief Electronics Technician (Submarines) Don W. Williams were relieved by the commander of Submarine Squadron 7 at Pearl Harbor, officials said.

Such removals are usually career-enders in the Navy. Cmdr. Christy Hagen, public affairs officer for the U.S. Pacific Fleet submarine force, said the decision was made "after a series of external assessments and observations."

"It was not due to a particular incident. It was not behavior-related or misconduct-related," Hagen said.

Rather, the removals were prompted by inadequate leadership and oversight of the crew, she said.

Asked whether the action was taken due to any particular inspection or maintenance shortcomings, Hagen said, "I would say that it’s a culmination of operations and administration (issues) — just subpar performance."

Klein had been the Columbia’s skipper since August 2010.

Williams reported as chief of the boat of Columbia in September 2009. As the senior enlisted adviser to Klein, he "failed to provide the deck-plate leadership and backup required," Hagen said.

The command actions did not endanger the crew of the Columbia, which returned Dec. 21 from a deployment to the Western Pacific, she said.

The Columbia is a Los Angeles-class nuclear attack submarine with a crew of 16 officers and 127 enlisted sailors. Nineteen Los Angeles- and Virginia-class subs are based at Pearl Harbor — the greatest concentration of subs in the Pacific.

Hagen added that the Navy "holds those in positions of command to very high standards and accountable when those standards are not met. When those in leadership positions fail to meet these high standards and superiors lose confidence in their ability to lead, they are removed from positions of command authority."

Klein has been administratively reassigned to the Pacific sub command’s staff. The native of Dyersville, Iowa, graduated from Iowa State University in 1992 with a degree in physics.

Capt. Dennis Boyer, deputy commander of Submarine Squadron 7, has assumed command of Columbia until a permanent replacement is named, the Navy said. Boyer previously commanded the Los Angeles-class submarine USS Miami.

Williams has been administratively reassigned to the staff of Naval Submarine Support Command at Pearl Harbor.

Command Master Chief (Submarines) Manuel Meneses, the Submarine Squadron 7 command master chief, has assumed responsibilities as chief of the boat until a replacement is named, the Navy said. Meneses previously served as chief of the boat aboard the Los Angeles-class submarine USS Philadelphia.

As of April 19 seven Navy commanders had been fired by the service in 2012, the newspaper Stars and Stripes reported.

Past Pearl Harbor disciplinary actions include the removal of Senior Chief Petty Officer Savan Patel as chief of the boat of the submarine USS Louisville in early 2011 following a drunken-driving arrest, the Navy said.

In March 2010 Cmdr. Jeff Cima was removed from command of the submarine USS Chicago after he was found guilty of drunkenness and conduct unbecoming an officer during a visit to a Reserve Officer Training Corps program on the mainland, officials said at the time.