Capt. Timothy Kuehhas was relieved by Capt. Glenn Jamison as commanding officer of the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) during a change of command ceremony, June 5.

George Washington's forecastle set the stage to recall the crew's achievements during Kuehhas' tenure and for Jamison to take the helm as the ship's new commanding officer.

"Over the two-and-a-half years that I've been here, it has been truly amazing to watch the 'Spirit of Freedom' crew at work both at sea and during our maintenance periods," said Kuehhas. "It has been the greatest privilege and honor of my naval career to be able to say that I was a part of this great team."

Kuehhas reflected on his time aboard George Washington and how the crew motivated him to accomplish the mission at hand.

"Since taking command in 2015, I have been captivated by the crew's camaraderie and their overwhelming desire to succeed on all fronts," said Kuehhas. "The demands of working on an aircraft carrier are unyielding, and I am inspired every day watching our officers, chiefs and crew tackle their many and diverse challenges."

Kuehhas' successes include advancing more than 1,300 George Washington Sailors and chiefs to the next pay grade, successfully completed a seven month deployment combined with the first ever three carrier hull swap, achieving the FY15 Battle "E" Award, and getting George Washington ready for refueling complex and overhaul maintenance at Newport News Shipbuilding.

"I've very much enjoyed my time as commanding officer of George Washington," said Kuehhas. "Leaving the crew at the change of command is like leaving family."

Kuehhas will report to U.S. Fleet Forces, while awaiting follow-on orders, as Jamison looks forward to serving as George Washington's 13th commanding officer.

"It's a tremendous honor to take command of George Washington," said Jamison.

"I look forward to serving with the 'Spirit of Freedom' crew as we transition to refueling complex overhaul and set the pace for successful redelivery -- we are the plankowners to the second half of this great ship's service life."

Jamison's most recent assignment was the commanding officer for the amphibious transport dock ship USS New Orleans (LPD 18) in August of 2015.

Jamison received his commission in 1990 after graduating from Duke University with a degree in Civil & Environmental Engineering. Prior to commanding George Washington, Jamison served as the executive assistant to the director, Air Warfare, Chief of Naval Operations N88 and as the executive officer of USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69).

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