TOMS RIVER – A township man will be taking command of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) today.
Family, friends and crew members will be present to witness Captain Gavin Duff, a native of Toms River take the helm during the scheduled change of command ceremony in the ship’s hangar bay at Naval Station Norfolk.
Duff will be replacing Captain Kavon Hakimzadeh, a native of Petal, Mississippi, as Truman’s commanding officer in a ceremony presided by Rear Admiral Ryan Scholl, commander, Carrier Strike Group 8. Scholl was relieved by Rear Admiral Curt Renshaw.
“As we operate in these dynamic times, the Navy needs brilliant leaders like Capt. Hakimzadeh. With his focus on leadership and dedication to the mission, he has made a lasting positive impression on the Truman and the strike group as a whole,” School said.
Scholl added, “I know I speak for everyone when I thank him for his true commitment and unrelenting fortitude he has bestowed upon the sailors of his ship and her material readiness.”
With more than 90 percent of all trade traveling by sea, and 95 percent of the world’s international phone and internet traffic carried through fiber optic cables lying on the ocean floor, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity and security of the United States is directly linked to a strong and ready Navy.
