In November 2010, a 25-year-old officer cadet fell to her death from the rigging of the navy’s sail training ship Gorch Fock. There were also accusations that members of the permanent crew had harassed cadets. On 22 January 2011, Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg had the ship’s commander, Captain Norbert Schatz, removed from his command. He was relieved for the duration of the investigation.
In March 2011, the navy’s commission of inquiry found that the accusations against the ship’s leadership were largely untenable. Its findings also cleared the commander. Members of parliament from both government and opposition then spoke up for him. The SPD’s Hans-Peter Bartels said he must be rehabilitated. The CDU’s Jürgen Hardt said: Ich kann der Marineführung nur dringend anraten, Herrn Schatz wieder in sein Kommando einzusetzen. I can only urge the navy leadership to put Mr. Schatz back in command.