BP CEO Tony Hayward's Worst Gaffes: A Series Of PR Nightmares (PHOTOS, VIDEO)

When BP announced this week that CEO Tony Hayward would be stepping down in October, very few were surprised. While BP's top brass were united in defending Hayward's tenure, it's hard to argue that BP would be better served with Hayward at the helm.

Disregarding for a moment that Hawyard's time at BP has been noted for an attention to the bottom line rather than safety, the public statements he's made in the past few months have repeatedly enraged an already disgusted public. Whether it was because of particularly ill-timed yachting trip, a claim that the environmental damage to the Gulf would be "modest," or any other groan-worthy gaffes, Hayward's public image became a crisis unto itself.

For a series of object lessons in how not to handle a major environmental and corporate crisis, check out Hayward's biggest missteps below: