Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Nicholas Russell | JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii (Jan. 16, 2026) - Cmdr. Jeffrey Vandenengel,...... read more read more
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JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii (Jan. 16, 2026) - Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS Illinois (SSN 786) conducted a change of command ceremony at the USS Parche Park and Submarine Memorial on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Jan. 16. Cmdr. Jeffrey Vandenengel relieved Cmdr. Johannes Smith as commanding officer of Illinois.
Smith took command of Illinois in August 2023. In his remarks, he lauded the composure, preparedness, and commitment of the Illinois crew in successfully navigating challenges as a team. “I am immensely proud of this crew,” said Smith. “As iron sharpens iron, every day the Illinois crew sharpened each other into an unmatched fighting force.”
Capt. Ryan McCrillis, commander, Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility, attended the ceremony and served as guest speaker. “We maintain and operate some of the most complex machinery ever built and we expect challenges,” said McCrillis. “The mindset and ability to acknowledge mistakes is the bedrock of our excellence and naval readiness.”
Vandenengel most recently served at the Navy’s Warfare Development Division under the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations. In his remarks, Vandenengel expressed appreciation of Smith' s leadership and the strong foundation he laid forth throughout his tenure as commanding officer. “Illinois is a great ship and that's because of the superb work the crew does every day,”said Vandenengel. “Looking forward, our nation and our Navy needs Illinois back in the fleet, executing high-end peacetime missions, and ready for combat. I am confident that Illinois will deliver what the nation requires.”
Illinois was commissioned October 29, 2016. Illinois is the seventh Virginia-class submarine and the third U.S. Navy ship to be named for the state of Illinois. At 377 feet long with a beam of 34 feet, Illinois holds a crew of approximately 132, made up of 15 officers and 117 enlisted Sailors. Illinois is assigned to Submarine Squadron 1 and is capable of supporting various missions, including anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface ship warfare, strike warfare, special operations forces support, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance.
For more news from Commander, Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet, follow us on Facebook and Instagram at http://www.facebook.com/SUBPAC, https://www.instagram.com/comsubpac/ or visit https://www.csp.navy.mil/
| Date Taken: | 01.16.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 01.21.2026 14:41 |
| Story ID: | 556474 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, HAWAII, US |
| Web Views: | 21 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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