The admiral’s rear: Top US Navy officer wet his pants then wandered naked around hotel

The US Navy has announced that it has reprimanded a two-star admiral for getting drunk and wandering naked around a Florida beachfront hotel while attending a conference with defence contractors.

Rear Admiral David F. Baucom, the director of strategy and policy at the US Transportation Command, became so intoxicated at an upscale beachfront resort in April that he struck his head on a barstool, wet his pants and needed an escort back to his room, according to an investigative report by the Naval Inspector General.

A few hours later, still in a haze, Baucom re-emerged from his room without any clothes on - as his door automatically locked behind him, the report states.

As the admiral stumbled around the grounds of the Ponte Vedra Inn and Club desperately looking for a towel to wrap around his waist, he was spotted by two alarmed female guests who reported him to hotel security.

After a disciplinary hearing last month, the Navy found Baucom guilty of disorderly conduct and conduct unbecoming an officer. He has since been transferred from his post at US Transportation Command and reassigned to the Pentagon, Navy officials said Monday.

In a statement, Baucom said he accepted “full responsibility and accountability for my actions.” He also said that four doctors have concluded that his drinking that night was probably exacerbated by a heart problem that left him lightheaded, disoriented and confused.

“I have served the Navy for more than 34 years and am proud of our institution,” Baucom added in his statement. “I deeply regret my actions caused discredit to the Navy I love.”