They named their network "STINKY."
No More Mister WiFi
Crew members on board the US Navy's combat ship USS Manchester got caught secretly bolting a Starlink terminal to the ship's weather deck for unrestricted WiFi access.
As the Navy Times reports, the crew hilariously called their unauthorized network "STINKY" and used it to check sports scores, get in touch with family, and stream movies.
When it was first discovered, the crew members behind the scheme lied about the terminal's existence. They even went as far as to forge usage documents, suggesting they had limited access to when the ship was in port.
Higher-ups didn't take kindly to the situation, launching a "scathing investigation," according to the Navy Times — and the perpetrators didn't get off easy.
LAN Down Under
The leader of the scheme, then-commander senior chief Grisel Marrero, reportedly conspired with several of the ship's chiefs to install the Starlink terminal.
It was a pretty exclusive club. Lower-ranking sailors never got to access the network dubbed "STINKY."
Unsurprisingly, running a secretive broadband internet satellite on board a combat ship could have some serious security repercussions.
"The danger such systems pose to the crew, the ship and the Navy cannot be understated,” the investigation obtained by the Navy Times reads.
Marrero was convicted late last year after lying to the ship's command about the terminal. She was demoted to a lower rank following a court appearance this spring.
By the time seniors got light of the situation, more than 15 USS Manchester chiefs knew about Marrero's scheme.
"This agreement was a criminal conspiracy, supported by the overt act of bringing the purchased Starlink onboard USS MANCHESTER," the investigation reads. "Any new member of the CPO Mess which then paid into the services joined that conspiracy following the system’s operational status."
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