2025 WPI Conference

Lt. Melanie Collins

In 1978, Congress finally lifted the ban on Navy women serving aboard ships. Lt. Melanie Collins, then a young Ensign stationed in Guam, jumped at the opportunity. It took a few years, but by 1981, she was assigned to the USS Point Loma, a non-combatant Navy ship based in San Diego, after completing Surface Warfare Officer (SWO) School in Coronado, California.

From the moment she arrived, Lt. Collins noticed serious problems. The ship had just finished a major overhaul, and the work environment was toxic. She served in multiple leadership roles — from overseeing electrical systems to heading communications and operations. But what stood out wasn’t the challenging assignments — it was the pattern of misconduct and the complete lack of accountability.

She saw it all:

Rampant sexual misconduct involving senior officers and junior sailors.
Unqualified crew members receiving “fake” warfare pins just to meet political goals.
Drug abuse, lost classified material, mishandled funds, and major morale issues.
Multiple collisions and accidents at sea due to poor training and leadership, including a collision with a sailboat in San Diego Harbor and another with a moored fishing boat and pier at Port Hueneme, causing significant property damage. In a separate preventable incident, the ship lost its port anchor and 900 feet of chain while at sea — a catastrophic failure with no real accountability.

What Did She See?

The Ship’s Commanding Officer, a married man, was having a public affair with a female junior officer. After divorcing his wife, he married the subordinate. Morale plummeted.
A male junior officer hid a female enlisted member in his apartment after she went AWOL for two weeks. She was punished; he was promoted.
A Chief Warrant Officer impregnated a junior female crewmember. He later married her, and she received a fraudulent warfare qualification. He retired without consequence.
The ship’s senior enlisted leader (Command Master Chief) brought a civilian woman aboard to spend the night — a clear violation of Navy rules. He was removed and forced into early retirement.

A senior officer on her SWO qualification board propositioned Lt. Collins, offering her a passing score in exchange for a sexual relationship. When she refused, he retaliated by voting against her.

Another officer told her flat-out, “Women aren’t expected to qualify,” then also voted against her — again, disqualifying her on the basis of gender.

The final straw came in 1984 when a female sailor was raped by a senior Boatswain’s Mate. It was the first time someone from the Point Loma was held accountable for sexual misconduct — but it took a court-martial to make that happen.

Lt. Collins connected the dots: these weren’t isolated incidents — they reflected a broken, toxic system. She spoke up. She filed formal complaints. And each time, she was retaliated against with poor performance reviews and career-damaging treatment.

Despite ten years of honorable service, Lt. Collins was twice passed over for promotion and forced out of the Navy in 1987.

Why Her Story Matters

Lt. Collins was the only officer aboard who had the courage to speak out about systemic issues — not just individual misconduct, but a culture that rewarded silence and punished truth-tellers.

She wasn’t just fighting to earn her warfare pin or move up the ranks. She was fighting for a Navy that lived up to its own standards — a Navy where merit mattered, where women could serve without being harassed, and where leadership was held accountable.

Instead, she was gaslighted, discredited, and discarded. Her complaints were buried under “surface-level” investigations that ended with predictable conclusions: “No substantiation.”

The Bigger Picture

When people report harassment, discrimination, or retaliation, they expect action. But institutions — especially powerful ones — rarely admit wrongdoing. They fear lawsuits, bad press, and financial consequences.

So they create another narrative. One where the whistleblower is the problem. One where the abuse is “individual,” not systemic. They protect the organization — not the person who was harmed.

Lt. Melanie Collins’ story is a powerful reminder of why whistleblowers matter — and why they need real protection.

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