Courtesy Photo | Cmdr. Thomas “Matt” Adams relieved Cmdr. Christopher Ivey as commanding officer of...... read more read more
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SAN DIEGO – Cmdr. Thomas “Matt” Adams relieved Cmdr. Christopher Ivey as commanding officer of Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance (DDG 111) during a change of command ceremony on the ship’s forcastle, May 3.
In his address to the ceremony attendees, Ivey said he discovered his vision for command in A Study In Command of Adm. Spruance written by Adm. James Forrestal. The book describes Spruance while in command of the destroyer Bainbridge, saying, “Lieutenant Spruance, without telling them in so many words, let his officers and crew know that he expected them to know and do their jobs well and to have a good ship. Without lecturing the crew, but by his day to day general interest in their work as individuals and as a team, by his recognition of ability and performance of crew members and a genuine interest in them as individuals, he fostered in them loyalty to their Captain and the wish to serve him well. He developed in them a self-pride and pride in the ship, and had the kind of command that results when a crew is convinced it has the best skipper of the best crew of the best ship in the best flotilla in the finest Navy in the world.”
Ivey shared his command philosophy with the crew and attendees of the ceremony. “Folks, if you haven’t already, I ask that you take a second to turn your heads around and look at America’s most prized possession,” said Ivey. “Those Sailors in whites up there...that’s my crew. There are 330 of them. They come from all walks of life. They all serve for various reasons. They are all American citizens with equal opportunity. Spruance Sailors have the dedication to the mission and to each other, they are proud to be quiet warriors. They have the determination to be relentless in the pursuit of success and to never quit. They have the discipline to know their jobs and to do their jobs and they have the desire to be the best, which is a title that they have earned time and time again from end to end of the spectrum of surface warfare.”
Ivey hails from Weston, Massachusetts and Lake Sunapee, New Hampshire. He graduated from Boston College in 2006 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and from Northeastern University Business School in 2014 with a Business Administration Master’s degree.
Ivey’s sea tours include operations division officer aboard Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4); main propulsion assistant and plank owner aboard Independence-class littoral combat ship USS Independence (LCS 2); chief engineer aboard USS Sampson (DDG 102); chief engineer aboard USS Lake Champlain (CG 57), and executive officer aboard USS Spruance (DDG 111), all homeported in San Diego, California.
Ashore, Ivey served as lead engineering and ship handling instructor for the Independence-class littoral combat ship engineering officer course at the Surface Warfare Officers School in Newport, Rhode Island. Additionally, he served as cruiser and destroyer placement officer at PERS-41, Surface Officer Assignments, Navy Personnel Command in Millington, Tennessee and as deputy executive assistant to the Commander, Naval Surface Forces/Commander, Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet in San Diego.
Among many, Ivey’s notable accomplishments while in command include the successful on-time completion of basic phase with 100% first-pass-yield, the shipboard certification process of the Optimized Fleet Response Plan (OFRP); earning the Vice Adm. Copeman Material Readiness Award for the highest ever score for a destroyer on the type commander’s most rigorous readiness inspection; the completion of Surface Warfare Advanced Train Team (SWATT) and Group Sail with the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group (CSG) Three; and winning the Battle Efficiency, or Battle “E,” award two years in a row. To win the “Battle E,” a ship and her crew must dominate in every operational warfare and sustainability area of expertise. With Ivey’s leadership, Spruance earned excellence awards in Maritime Warfare, Command, Control, Communications & Information Warfare, Ship Safety, and Self-Sufficiency.
Ivey’s next assignment will be as lead instructor of the Command Leadership Course at the Naval Leadership and Ethics Center in Newport, Rhode Island.
Adams previously served as the executive officer of Spruance. During his speech, Adams expressed his gratitude to Ivey. “His leadership, mentorship and example has made me, this ship and crew better in all regards,” said Adams. “Our success and readiness are a direct result of his steady leadership.”
Adams is Spruance’s 11th commanding officer since the ship’s commissioning in 2011.
“To the crew of Spruance. I am honored and humbled to be your commanding officer,” said Adams. “My expectation is that you take care of yourselves, your shipmates, and your ship. In this world of uncertainty there is one thing I can assure you: we will be ready.”
Adams, a native of Missoula, Montana and enlisted in the Navy in 1999. He is a 2007 graduate of the United States Naval Academy where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in economics.
Adams’ previous at sea assignments include strike officer in USS McFaul (DDG 74), damage control assistant in USS Paul Hamilton (DDG 60), weapons and combat systems officer aboard Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Champlain (CG 57), and executive officer on USS Spruance (DDG 111). His shore tours include a Global War on Terrorism Support Assignment to Joint Task Force Bravo in Honduras, where he served as a battle watch captain followed by a tour at Naval Ocean Processing Facility (NOPF) Whidbey Island, where he served as battle watch captain and training officer, earning his Integrated Undersea Surveillance Systems (IUSS) warfare qualification. Additionally, he served at Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Center and as the senior assessor for Mariner Skills at Afloat Training Group in San Diego. Adams earned his Executive Master of Business Administration from the Naval Post Graduate School in Monterey, California. He is also an Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) warfare tactics instructor (WTI).
Spruance is a Flight IIA guided-missile destroyer named after Admiral Raymond Ames Spruance. Admiral Spruance is remembered as one of the greatest fighting and thinking admirals in American history, commanding six ships before attaining the rank of Admiral, and assuming command of Cruiser Division Five at the outset of World War II. Admiral Spruance is known for his reserved nature and bias for action. Known as the “Quiet Warrior” he initiated the Battle of Midway, a turning point in the war in the Pacific during WWII, with the simple phrase “Launch the Attack.” The modern Quiet Warriors, the crew of USS Spruance, use “Launch the Attack” as their battle cry. After WWII, Admiral Spruance served as the Commander in Chief of the US Pacific Fleet, the President of the Naval War College, and the Ambassador to the Philippines.
| Date Taken: | 05.03.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 05.09.2024 14:16 |
| Story ID: | 470804 |
| Location: | SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 117 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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