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USS Samuel B. Roberts Holds Change of Command at Sea

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS081207-19
Release Date: 12/7/2008 10:52:00 PM

From USS Samuel B. Roberts Public Affairs

USS SAMUEL B. ROBERTS, At Sea (NNS) -- USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG 58) held a change-of-command ceremony at sea Dec. 2 while conducting counter-illicit trafficking operations in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.

After serving as commanding officer since June 2007, Cmdr. Wallace G. Lovely turned over command to Cmdr. Chuck L. Sellers.

"USS Samuel B. Roberts is one of the best ships in the Navy due to Commander Lovely's leadership, and it is an honor to receive the mantle of command from him," said Sellers.

Lovely began his command tour near the end of a counter-illicit trafficking deployment during the summer of 2007. During that deployment, Samuel B. Roberts provided humanitarian support to Nicaragua in the wake of Hurricane Felix and participated in PANAMAX 2007, an annual multinational maritime exercise.

Upon return to the ship's homeport in Mayport, Fla., in September 2007, Samuel B. Roberts went into a selected restricted availability period to gear up the ship's material condition for an upcoming training cycle.

During the availability, USS Samuel B. Roberts' Supply Department worked diligently to acquire significant habitability funds, which were used to improve morale and living conditions. Under Lovely's leadership, Samuel B. Roberts' chiefs' mess, wardroom and mess decks saw significant improvements. The crew's lounge, named the "B's Nest," was also completely renovated to include new computer workstations, new couches and a television compatible with the ship's Wii entertainment gaming system.

To prepare for the current deployment, Samuel B. Roberts began a three-month workup cycle, which included an aviation certification (AVCERT), unit-level training assessment certification (ULTRA-C), and unit-level training assessment engineering (ULTRA-E), as well as training exercises with Destroyer Squadron 24 (DESRON 24) during group sail.

During his tour, Lovely worked to form an inclusive command atmosphere where all Sailors from the most junior to the most senior learned about the ship's history and vision. Now, when a new Sailor checks aboard, no longer are they immediately handed a ship's ball cap as they cross the quarterdeck; new Sailors now have a few days to learn Samuel B. Roberts' history from their divisions and sponsors prior to going before the commanding officer for their "ball-capping ceremony," during which they are quizzed on the ship's history. The ceremony officially welcomes new Sailors to the Samuel B. Roberts family and helps them better understand the ship's heritage and values by which its Sailors are expected to live.

In April, Lovely led a group of Sailors to Bath, Maine, for the 20th anniversary commemoration of the FFG 58 mine blast in the Persian Gulf April 14, 1988. This gave Samuel B. Roberts Sailors the opportunity to forge relationships with the ship's namesake survivor associations, a group of individuals who helped rebuild the ship after the tragic incident. The ship's delegation returned from Bath, Maine, with plans to adorn the ship with bulkhead-sized murals detailing the history of each of the three U.S. Navy ships that have gone by the Samuel B. Roberts namesake.

The murals are now placed around the ship, in the ship's store passageway, the serving line passageway and the passageway leading into the crew's lounge. These murals help paint a vivid picture for the crew about the history of the Samuel B. Roberts.

For his achievements while in command of Samuel B. Roberts, Lovely received the Meritorious Service Medal. Lovely's next assignment is U.S. Pacific Command.

Sellers, who took over command, is a 1990 Virginia Tech graduate with a bachelor of science degree in mathematics. His most recent assignment was as a student at the Industrial College of the Armed Forces.

On Oct. 5, Samuel B. Roberts got underway for the ship's current deployment to the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) area of focus, which encompasses the Caribbean, Central and South America and surrounding waters.

One week prior to the change of command, Samuel B. Roberts was diverted from its counter-illicit trafficking deployment in the Eastern Pacific to provide aid and disaster relief to Panamanians affected by recent flooding in Panama.

During the deployment, Samuel B. Roberts is under the operational control of U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command (NAVSO) and U.S. 4th Fleet.

NAVSO, the Navy component command of U.S. Southern Command, oversees maritime operations throughout Latin America, including exercises and deployments, counter illicit trafficking support, and theater security cooperation events.

U.S. 4th Fleet is the numbered fleet assigned to NAVSO exercising operational control of U.S. Navy units temporally operating in the SOUTHCOM area of focus.

For more news from Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command, visit www.navy.mil/local/cusns/.