Amphibious transport dock USS San Antonio (LPD 17) held a change of command ceremony while in Haifa, Israel, July 21.

Capt. Mike Patterson was relieved by Capt. Darren Nelson, who has served as the ship's executive officer since March.

Quote:

"Leading the crew of the San Antonio has been the most rewarding part of my career. Everyone on board is a hero in my book. This crew kept us at sea when we had a job to do and continued to display grit, determination, and resiliency every day, and I cannot thank the crew enough." - Capt. Mike Patterson, outgoing commanding officer, USS San Antonio (LPD 17)

Quick Facts:

Patterson's next assignment is Operational Test and Evaluation Force.

San Antonio is deployed with the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group to support maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations.

U.S. 6th Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts the full spectrum of joint and naval operations, often in concert with allied, joint, and interagency partners in order to advance U.S. national interests and security and stability in Europe and Asia.

For more information, visit http://www.navy.mil/, http://www.facebook.com/usnavy, or http://www.twitter.com/usnavy.

For more new from USS San Antonio (LPD 17), visit http://www.facebook.com/usssanantonio.

For more news from Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet, visit http://www.navy.mil/ or http://www.c6f.navy.mil.