Military Sealift Command Pacific Welcomes New Commander

SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- Military Sealift Command Pacific, the area command responsible for MSC ships in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, welcomed new leadership during a ceremony at Naval Base Point Loma in San Diego April 19.

Capt. Michael Taylor assumed command from Capt. Sylvester Moore, who joined MSC following a tour of duty as the Deputy Commander, Littoral Combat Ship Squadron One in San Diego.

A third generation Surface Warfare Officer, Taylor is a native of San Diego, and a 1987 graduate of San Diego State University. He was commissioned via the San Diego State University NROTC program in January 1988.

Taylor has held a wide variety of tours and duties in the Navy, including sea tours on USS Cayuga (LST 1186), where he participated in both Desert Shield and Desert Storm; USS Kinkaid (DD 965); USS Shiloh (CG 67); USS Oldendorf (DD 972); and USS Ford (FFG 54). His shore tours include service as the Engineering, Seamanship, and Leadership instructor for Surface Warfare Officers School Command Coronado, Calif.; Engineering Examiner on the CINCPACFLT Propulsion Examination Board; Operations Officer on the staff of Commander, Naval Surface Forces Pacific and Chief Staff Officer for Regional Support Organization, San Diego.

"I am extremely optimistic about this tour," said Taylor. "Somebody back in the Washington Navy Yard said that they were torn between bragging at MSC's accomplishments and keeping MSC's success a secret so they didn't have to share the experience. That sounded like a great place to work to me!"

Taylor relieves Moore, who has overseen MSC involvement in operations and exercises including two Operation Deep Freeze resupply missions to Antarctica, the deployment of hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) for Pacific Partnership 2012 humanitarian assistance mission and the 2012 Rim of the Pacific exercise where MSC delivered 900,000 gallons of a 50-50 blend of advanced biofuels and traditional petroleum-based fuel to the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) strike group.

Capt. Sidney Kim, Assistant Chief of Staff, Logistics for U.S. 3rd Fleet, served as guest speaker for the change of command ceremony and presented Moore with the Legion of Merit for his outstanding performance as commander of MSCPAC.

Moore will report to the Southwest Regional Maintenance Facility in San Diego, where he will serve as executive officer.

MSCPAC is one of five worldwide operational commands serving under the U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command. MSCPAC is dual-hatted as Commander, Task Force 33, directing the underway delivery of fuel, provisions, ordnance and towing services to Navy combatants in the U.S. 3rd Fleet area of responsibility.

MSC operates approximately 110 non-combatant, merchant mariner-crewed ships that replenish U.S. Navy ships, conduct specialized missions, strategically preposition combat cargo at sea around the world, and move military cargo and supplies used by deployed U.S. forces and coalition partners.

For more news from Military Sealift Command, visit www.navy.mil/local/MSC/.