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USS Topeka to hold change of command
SANTA RITA, Guam—Cmdr. Steven Tarr III will relieve Cmdr. David Lammers as commanding officer of the Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Topeka (SSN 754) during a ceremony on Polaris Point today, Aug. 5 at 10am.
Capt. Jeffrey Grimes, Joint Region Marianas Chief of Staff and former commander of Submarine Squadron (SUBRON) 15, will be the guest speaker for the ceremony.
Lammers has commanded Topeka for approximately two and a half years. Under his leadership, Topeka completed an engineered overhaul in Portsmouth Naval Shipyard 20 days ahead of schedule, successfully changed homeport from San Diego to Guam and conducted forward operations throughout the Indo-Asia-Pacific. Topeka returned from national tasking July 1.
Lammers will head to the staff of Commander, Submarine Force, Pacific Fleet following Topeka’s change of command.
Topeka, commissioned Oct. 21, 1989, is the Navy’s third ship to be named for the city of Topeka, Kansas, and is the fourth “improved” Los Angeles-class attack submarine. Improved modifications of this class include retractable bow planes, a reinforced sail for under ice operations, vertical launch Tomahawk Cruise Missile capability, ship quieting enhancements and an integrated combat systems suite. Measuring 360 feet long and displacing more than 6,900 tons, Topeka has a crew of approximately 140 sailors and is capable of supporting various missions, including anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface ship warfare, strike warfare and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.
Topeka is a member of SUBRON 15, which is located at Polaris Point in Piti, Guam. SUBRON 15 staff is responsible for providing training, material and personnel readiness support of four Los Angeles-class attack submarines stationed in Guam. The submarines and submarine tenders USS Frank Cable (AS 40) and USS Emory S. Land (AS 39) are maintained as part of the U.S. Navy’s forward-deployed submarine force and are readily capable of meeting global operational requirements.
For more news from Commander, Submarine Squadron 15, visit http://www.csp.navy.mil/css15 and https://www.facebook.com/SubmarineSquadron15/.
