USS Michael Murphy (DDG 112) held a change of command ceremony at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Aug. 30.

The ceremony marked the passage of command from Cmdr. Robert A. Heely Jr. to Cmdr. Kevin T. Louis. Heely, the ship's fourth commanding officer, assumed command of USS Michael Murphy in March 2016.

"This tour as captain of Michael Murphy has been the thrill of a lifetime, and that's because of the crew," said Heely.

During his time in command, the ship's 300-plus crewmembers excelled in the completion of the new time-based Basic Phase, earning the ship an above fleet average score during the Board of Inspection and Survey.

He also led the crew through training exercises with the Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group and Michael Murphy's second deployment to the Western Pacific.

"A ship is only as good as its crew and this was a great team," said Heely. "Through a grueling schedule, their work was always bigger than any one person. They were resilient and took pride ownership to another level. They inspired me each day as they carried on the legacy of our namesake Lt. Michael Murphy. I was proud to be their teammate."

Heely is slated to serve as Destroyer Branch Head at the OPNAV Surface Warfare Directorate (N96) in Arlington, Virginia, for his next tour.

Louis has served as the ship's executive officer for over the past year. His previous sea tours include USS Roosevelt (DDG 80) and USS O'Kane (DDG 77), and his time ashore has consisted of tours with the Office of Naval Intelligence, PERS-41, and Surface Warfare Officers School.

Commissioned in 2012, USS Michael Murphy is named after former Navy SEAL Lt. Michael P. Murphy who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for heroic actions during Operation Red Wings in Afghanistan in 2005. He was the first person to be awarded the medal for actions in Afghanistan and was the Navy's first Medal of Honor recipient since the Vietnam War.

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