Raunchy comedy videos made by a high-ranking US Navy commander three or four years ago have suddenly proved an embarrassment to the Pentagon that could blight the officer's career.

The videos, released on Sunday by a newspaper in the Navy port city of Norfolk, feature Captain Owen Honors using gay slurs, mimicking masturbation and staging suggestive shower scenes. They were played on the ship-wide television system during weekly movie night, when Honors was executive officer of the USS Enterprise.

Honors has since become commander of the ship, the navy's oldest nuclear-powered submarine. The Virginian-Pilot newspaper reported that the videos were made during the Enterprise's two six-month deployments to the Middle East in 2006 and 2007.

It's not known why the images have surfaced now. The Navy first downplayed the videos as "humorous skits," then called them "not acceptable" and said they were under investigation.

Meanwhile the Enterprise is scheduled to deploy before the end of this month, with Honors still at its helm. But it's not known whether the investigation will cause a delay in the Enterprise's departure.