Photo By Ashley Berumen | KINGS BAY, Ga. (June 3, 2022) Cmdr. Bill Dull, outgoing commanding officer of the...... read more read more
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KINGS BAY, Ga. (June 3, 2022) - The Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarine USS Alaska (SSBN 732) (Blue) held a change of command ceremony onboard Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Georgia, June 3.
Cmdr. John C. Smith relieved Cmdr. Bill Dull as Alaska’s Blue Crew commanding officer in a ceremony held at the base chapel.
Capt. John Cage, commodore of Commander, Submarine Squadron 20, was the guest speaker and praised Dull’s leadership during his tour.
“Cmdr. Dull and Alaska, the highest compliment I could pay you and your crew is that when you were underway I had no worries,” said Cage. “I knew that you would always do the right thing and take care of your people and safely execute the mission.”
During the ceremony, Cage awarded Dull with the Meritorious Service Medal for his service as commanding officer.
“I’ve had the privilege to spend almost a quarter of my naval career as part of the Alaska family; first as the Gold crew XO [executive officer] and now as the Blue CO [commanding officer].” said Dull. “Alaska is an amazing platform and an engineering marvel by any measure, but what really makes a ship is the crew.”
Dull, from Charleston, South Carolina, graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy with a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering. He received a Master of Business Administration from the National University of Singapore.
“I learned a long time ago that in life, it’s not the whats or the hows,” said Dull. It’s about people, the whos. That’s the finest submarine crew on the planet, and I could not be more proud.”
Dull took command of the ship’s Blue Crew in April 2020. Under his command, the crew completed a 16-month maintenance period called a Chief of Naval Operations Availability, and two strategic deterrent patrols. Under his leadership, the crew was awarded the 2021 Commander, Submarine Squadron 20 Battle Efficiency “E”, U.S. Strategic Command Omaha Trophy and the 2021 Retention Excellence Award. Additionally, the crew retained 100 percent of its junior officers.
Dull’s personal awards include the Meritorious Service medal (three awards), Navy Commendation medal (three awards), and the Navy Achievement medal (three awards). While serving in Australia he was awarded the Meritorious Honor Award by the US Ambassador to Australia and the Royal Australian Navy Fleet Commander’s Commendation Silver level.
For his next assignment, Dull will report to the Director of Strategic Systems Programs in Washington, D.C.
Smith, from Marseilles, Illinois, graduated from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry, and received his commission through the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps. He previously served as the commanding officer of the moored training ship, MTS 701, located in Charleston, South Carolina.
Smith said he looked forward to what is in store for USS Alaska.
“In my short period onboard, I have had the privilege of observing our Alaska team in many training environments as we work toward certification for our next mission set,” said Smith. “They performed above expectation, with a mission centric, warfighter mindset that was eager to learn and continuously improve.”
Smith’s personal awards include Meritorious Service Medal, Navy Commendation Medal, Meritorious Unit Commendation, and five Battle Efficiency awards as well as various personal, unit and campaign awards.
USS Alaska was commissioned in 1986, and is the fourth U.S. Navy ship to be named for the Territory of Alaska or the State of Alaska. Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay is home to all east coast Ohio-class submarines.
| Date Taken: | 06.03.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 06.03.2022 13:59 |
| Story ID: | 422129 |
| Location: | KINGS BAY, GEORGIA, US |
| Hometown: | CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA, US |
| Hometown: | MARSEILLES, ILLINOIS, US |
| Web Views: | 823 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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