The guided-missile destroyer USS John Paul Jones (DDG 53) held a change of command ceremony at Bravo Pier at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Dec. 17.
Cmdr. Matthew Hall relieved Cmdr. Andrew Thomson as commanding officer of John Paul Jones.
In command since June 21, 2013, Thomson led the ship and crew through a demanding training cycle and modernization program. The team sailed more than 60,000 nautical miles while conducting various unit level training and certification events, an inspection by the Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) and conducted combat systems qualification trials, including four live-fire exercises in support of the Aegis Baseline 9C development and certification program.
During the ceremony, Thomson was awarded a Meritorious Commendation Medal for his successes in command of John Paul Jones from June 2013 to December 2014. Thomson will report to Program Executive Office Integrated Warfare Systems for his next assignment.
Hall, who recently completed his executive officer tour aboard John Paul Jones, thanked Thomson for his guidance and leadership and called Thomson a “peerless professional” who he was honored to relieve.
John Paul Jones is the third Arleigh Burke-class destroyer and the first to be homeported on the West Coast. John Paul Jones is the first guided-missile destroyer to receive the latest Commercial Off-the-Shelf open architecture computing infrastructure, SPY-1D transmitter upgrades, and Multi-Mission Signal Processor. Together, these upgrades provide the backbone for the new Baseline 9C, which will soon be implemented throughout the surface fleet.
In August, John Paul Jones conducted a change of homeport to Pearl Harbor, where she remains a part of Destroyer Squadron 23.
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Press release, Image: US Navy