USS Florida changes command

Guided-missile submarine USS Florida (SSGN 728) held a change of command ceremony at the chapel at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay on December 12th.

Capt. Brett Moyes relieved Capt. Nathan Martin as the Blue crew’s commanding officer.

Retired Rear Adm. Douglas McAneny, former commander of Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet, was the guest speaker for the ceremony.

During his remarks, he described Martin as a humble, competent, and extremely-capable leader.

“Florida Blue has achieved great success under Nate’s leadership — two very successful U.S. Central Command deployments; four missions vital to national security; winner of the 2015 Battle Efficiency Award; four departmental awards; and finally the retention excellence award,” said McAneny. “Rest assured, my friend, you have delivered and have done so under circumstances that would have crumbled lesser men. No one could have done it better.”

Martin, a native of Clifford, North Dakota, outlined the accomplishments of his crew and explained their arduous deployment schedule.

“Many times over the past two years, I have thought about what I would say during this ceremony to capture their sacrifices, dedication, and exceptional accomplishments,” Martin said. “They are undoubtedly the hardest working, most dedicated group of submariners you will ever meet.”

“In April, Florida returned to Kings Bay following a very successful 19-month deployment to the U.S. 5th, 6th, and 7th Fleets,” Martin continued. “During that time, Florida Blue deployed three times over the course of 11 months and did some truly remarkable things during three mission periods that encompassed six different missions.”

During the ceremony, Capt. Adam Palmer, commander, Submarine Squadron 16, awarded Martin with the Legion of Merit for his service as commanding officer and thanked Martin for his great work.

As commanding officer of Florida, Moyes will be responsible for ensuring the submarine’s full mission capability in order to perform precision strike, joint special operations forces operations, operational preparation of the battle space, SSGN/attack submarine (SSN) consort operations, carrier and expeditionary strike group operations, and future payloads experimentation.

Martin will report to Submarine Group 10 in Kings Bay as he awaits follow-on orders to the Pentagon.