The Littoral Combat Ship USS Sioux City (LCS 11) Blue crew held a Change of Command Ceremony at Naval Station Mayport, April 5, 2019.

Cmdr. James Randy Malone was relieved by Cmdr. Chavius G Lewis as the commanding officer of Sioux City Blue crew in a ceremony attended by several hundred distinguished visitors, guests and crew.

Both Malone and Lewis are part of the Blue crew on Sioux City. Typically, ships have just one crew but LCS can maintain a forward presence with Blue and Gold rotating crews. This crewing construct increases crew ownership and reliability of the ship, while delivering critical war-fighting capability to the Fleet.

During Malone’s command tour of Sioux City Blue crew which began in December 2017, Cmdr. Malone led the crew through the ship’s commissioning and several certification events.

“I couldn’t be more proud of the men and women of Sioux City Blue crew,” said Cmdr. Malone.  “Their hard work and dedication made my tour successful and it has truly been an honor to serve with each and every one of them.”

During the ceremony, Cmdr. Malone; whose follow-on assignment will be Senior Assessor at Engineering Assessment Pacific (EAP), was presented with the Meritorious Service Medal for his performance as Commanding Officer from December 2017 to April 2019.

Cmdr. Lewis officially assumed the title and responsibilities as Sioux City Blue’s Commanding Officer after orders were read and salutes rendered.

Cmdr. Lewis served as Sioux City Blue's Executive Officer from October 2017 to January 2019.  Previous tours included USS Gunston Hall (LSD 44), USS Cole (DDG 67), USS Pioneer (MCM 9), USS Ardent (MCM 12) and the United States Central Command.

"My tour as Executive Officer has been completely rewarding; from sailing away from the builder’s yard to commissioning the ship at the Naval Academy” said Cmdr. Lewis. “I have been able to form great relationships with the namesake city, commissioning committee, and the program office during this time”

USS Sioux City (LCS 11) is the sixth Freedom Class Variant constructed by Lockheed-Martin. It commissioned November 17, 2018 in Annapolis, MD. Sioux City is a highly maneuverable, lethal and adaptable ship designed to support focused mine countermeasures, anti-submarine warfare, and surface warfare missions. LCS integrates new technology and capability to affordably support current and future mission capability from deep water to the littorals.

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