CSG-2 Conducts Change of Command
U.S. Navy story by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Joseph C. Vazquez
NORFOLK, Va. (Aug. 28, 2019) — Rear Adm. Sara A. “Clutch” Joyner relieved Rear Adm. Stephen C. Evans as Commander, Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 2 during a change of command ceremony at Pennsylvania House on Naval Station Norfolk, Aug. 28.
Evans, a graduate of The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, assumed command in October 2017 and provided combat ready maritime forces to support the Maritime Strategy.
While under Evans’ command, CSG-2 ensured ships and aircraft maintained readiness to safely and effectively operate at sea. CSG-2 also led Operation Chesapeake 2018, a historic airwing interoperability exercise between French and American naval forces, and supported BALTOPS 2019 along with 18 partner nations in the Baltic region.
"I am eternally grateful for the commitment, enthusiasm, and hard work from the carrier strike group team,” said Evans. “Our strike group has a rich history of service to our country and, in keeping with our motto ‘Hit Hard, Hit Fast, Hit Often,’ we will continue to prevail amidst adversity.”
A graduate of the United States Naval Academy, Joyner assumed command of CSG-2 following her last assignment as the director for Manpower and Personnel (J1) on the Joint Staff in Washington, D.C.
Joyner established her place in naval history as the first female to command a VFA Squadron in 2010, and as the first female commander of a Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 3 in 2013.
“The carrier strike group remains the cornerstone of naval power,” said Joyner. "I am humbled and honored to lead the Sailors of Carrier Strike Group TWO who defend our nation"
Originally commissioned as Carrier Division 2 on September 30, 1937, Rear Adm. C.A. Blakely served as Commander and Immediate Superior in Command of the soon-to-be delivered USS Yorktown (CV-5) and USS Enterprise (CV-6), the first U.S. Navy ships designed from the keel up as aircraft carriers.
Today, the flagship of CSG-2 is the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77). Other units assigned to CSG-2 include seven squadrons from Carrier Air Wing Eight; the Ticonderoga-class cruisers USS Hue City (CG-66) and USS Philippine Sea (CG-58); and the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers USS Mahan (DDG-72), USS Cole (DDG-67), USS Laboon (DDG-58) and USS Mitscher (DDG-57) from Destroyer Squadron 22.
Notable former commanders of Carrier Division 2/CSG-2 are Fleet Adm. William “Bull” Halsey, Vice Adm. C.A.F. Sprague of World War II fame, Adm. James A. Winnefeld, former Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Navy’s first female carrier strike group commander, Vice Adm. Nora Tyson.
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