The Navy held a change-of-command ceremony Friday aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt at Naval Air Station North Island.
Capt. Brett Crozier assumed command of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier from Capt. Carlos Sardiello, who had skippered the warship since July 2017. Crozier previously served as an executive officer aboard the carrier USS Ronald Reagan, and has deployed on multiple naval missions, including 2003’s Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Sardiello led the Roosevelt in its deployment during the ongoing Operation Freedom’s Sentinel and Operation Inherent Resolve, the U.S. military’s intervention campaign against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. The ship sailed more than 50,000 miles under his watch, according to the Navy.
Guest speaker Vice Adm. DeWolfe H. Miller III, commander of Naval Air Forces, praised the achievements of the Theodore Roosevelt and its crew under Sardiello’s leadership.
“Suffice it to say that Capt. Sardiello is a leader who leads by example and inspires others to exceed even their own expectations,” said Miller. “He excels at leading sailors — the lifeblood of our ships. He takes care of his people and sets them up for success.”
Crozier, who is from Santa Rosa, was most recently commander of the U.S. 7th Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge.
“Men and women of Theodore Roosevelt, you have dedicated yourselves to an incredibly noble cause, choosing not what is easy, but what is right and just in the service of our great nation; to be ready for combat and always guarantee our peace,” said Crozier while addressing the crew for the first time. “You are doing it on the greatest warship in the world, and I am proud to be serving alongside you as we sail wherever our nation requires in the coming years.”
