Cmdr. Brett Ringo relieved Capt. Eric Meyers as commanding officer of the Freedom-variant littoral combat ship USS Wichita (LCS 13) on March 3, 2023, in a ceremony held onboard Wichita while moored at Mayport Naval Station. Capt. Todd Peters, commodore, Mine Division 22 served as guest speaker for the ceremony.
"I leave this amazing crew with a heavy heart, as they are some of the finest Sailors I have served with in my 27 years of active duty," said Meyers. "I am incredibly grateful for their hard work and dedication, both of which were the driving factors behind all of USS Wichita’s success in the last year.”
During his tenure as commanding officer, Capt. Meyers led Wichita through a U.S. Fourth Fleet deployment directly supporting the National Drug Control Strategy in the Caribbean Sea. He conducted interdictions to support Joint Interagency Task Force-South’s counter narcotics efforts in the region, seizing 4,222 kilograms of cocaine worth $202,000,000. Capt. Meyers’s next assignment is as the Current Operations Officer at U.S. Fourth Fleet.
His relief, Cmdr. Ringo, is a native of Colchester, Connecticut and previously served as executive officer aboard USS Billings (LCS 15) Blue Crew.
“Taking Command of a warship has been the greatest honor in my professional career," said Ringo. "These warriors have been tried, tested, and continue to excel. We have a lot of work ahead of us, but I see no finer crew to meet the challenges ahead and prepare our ship for operational tasking.”
Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) are a fast, agile, mission-focused platform designed to operate in near-shore environments, winning against 21st-century coastal threats. The LCS is capable of supporting forward presence, maritime security, sea control, and deterrence.
Date Taken: | 03.23.2023 |
Date Posted: | 03.24.2023 11:48 |
Story ID: | 441005 |
Location: | MAYPORT, FLORIDA, US |
Web Views: | 140 |
Downloads: | 0 |
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