USS Hartford Gets New Commander

Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Hartford (SSN 768) received a new commander June 20 during a change-of-command ceremony at Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, Conn.

Cmdr. Thomas Aydt relieved Cmdr. Steven Wilkinson as Hartford’s commanding officer during a pierside ceremony.

Wilkinson assumed command in October 2011 and led Hartford during a successful six-month deployment to the U.S. European Command region of operations the following year.

Wilkinson was also credited with providing inspirational leadership that enabled Hartford’s crew of 16 officers and 127 enlisted members to excel.

Last July, the U.S. Fleet Forces Command presented Hartford with the prestigious Arleigh Burke Fleet Trophy, which recognized the submarine as Atlantic Fleet’s most improved navy vessel in 2012.

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert stated in a May 2013 message that Hartford “consistently and measurably improved in every warfare area and achieved on-time certification for one of [Commander, Submarine Forces] most challenging deployments.”

The Washington state native’s next assignment is scheduled to be closer to home. He will report to Submarine Development Squadron 5 based in Bangor, Wash., after briefly serving as a deputy commander for Submarine Squadron 4 in Groton.

Aydt, an Illinois native, reports to Groton after finishing a shore tour at Submarine Force U.S. Pacific Fleet in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

Aydt enlisted in the Navy in 1988 and served as a missile technician aboard ballistic missile submarines before entering an enlisted commissioning program in 1995.

He later received his officer commission after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Jacksonville University. He also has a master’s in operations management from the University of Arkansas.

USS Hartford was commissioned Dec. 10, 1994 and is the second U.S. naval vessel named in honor of Connecticut’s capital city.

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Press Release, June 23, 2014; Image: US Navy