Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Theoplis Stewart II | Capt. Colin Day and his family are piped ashore after the change of command ceremony...... read more read more
NEWPORT NEWS, Virginia. – Pre-Commissioning Unit John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) hosted its change of command ceremony aboard the ship, Sept. 20, 2024. Capt. Colin P. Day, the second commanding officer of John F. Kennedy, was relieved by Capt. Douglas M. Langenberg.
Day, who comes from a Navy family and is a native of Oak Harbor, Washington, will retire from his career in the Navy after 28 years of active-duty service.
“Serving as the commanding officer of John F. Kennedy has truly been my greatest professional honor, and experience that I will always cherish,” said Day. “The John F. Kennedy team will continue to excel to the next level under the incredible leadership of Captain Langenberg. I’m excited to see the assured success of this amazing national asset and her crew.”
In the 28 months Day served as commanding officer of John F. Kennedy, he oversaw the delivery of numerous ship-wide systems and the establishment of vital ship’s force programs, all while enhancing the crews’ quality of life and reinforcing a robust command climate. He led the preparation of over 1,800 command Sailors for ship delivery, commissioning, and at-sea periods.
Rear Adm. Marcos Jasso, deputy director, Strategy, Plans and Policy (DJ5), U.S. Space Command, presided over the ceremony in the ship’s hangar bay.
“Captain Day’s bold leadership and dedication was instrumental in the transformation of John F. Kennedy from a shipyard focus towards a warfighting command soon ready for sea,” said Jasso. “I’ve had the pleasure of knowing both Captain Day and Captain Langenberg for over 20 years. To witness their change of command today instills great pride and confidence in the future of this mighty warship.”
Langenberg, a native of Lone Tree, Iowa, became John F. Kennedy’s third commanding officer following previous leadership assignments as commanding officer of USS John P. Murtha (LPD 26), executive officer of USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74), and commanding officer of VFA-213 “Fighting Blacklions.” As a junior officer, he also deployed onboard USS John F. Kennedy (CV 67) with the VF-11 “Red Rippers.”
“It’s a great honor to join the John F. Kennedy crew as commanding officer as we transition toward bringing this ship to life,” Langenberg said. “We have much to look forward to as we prepare to deploy the Fleet’s newest and most advanced aircraft carrier. I extend my gratitude to Captain Day for his steadfast leadership and dedicated service to the JFK crew and our Navy.”
PCU John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) is the second aircraft carrier in the Ford Class, the first new class in more than 40 years.
At 1,092 feet in length and 100,000 tons, John F. Kennedy represents dramatic advances in propulsion, power generation, ordnance handling, and aircraft launch systems. These innovations will support a higher sortie generation rate at significant cost savings when compared to Nimitz-class carriers. The Gerald R. Ford class also offers a considerable reduction—approximately $4 billion per ship—in life cycle operations and support costs compared to the earlier Nimitz class.
The new technology and warfighting capabilities that John F. Kennedy brings to the fleet will transform naval warfare, supporting a more capable and lethal forward-deployed U.S. naval presence. In an emerging era of great power competition, CVN 79 will serve as the most agile and lethal combat platform globally, with improved systems that enhance interoperability among other platforms in the carrier strike group and with the naval forces of regional allies and partners.
| Date Taken: | 09.20.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 09.20.2024 16:56 |
| Story ID: | 481448 |
| Location: | VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 467 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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