USS Bunker Hill
 
5/24/2011 
USS Bunker Hill (CG 52) 
Official U.S. Navy file photo 
Bunker Hill Holds Change of Command 
By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Aaron Shelley 
SOUTH CHINA SEA – Capt. Michael J. Ford relieved Capt. Dominic DeScisciolo as commanding officer of the Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill (CG 52) during a change of command ceremony held at the forecastle of the ship May 21.

“I am a blessed man,” said DeScisciolo. “I have commanded the greatest ship in the Navy; made up of the finest officers, chiefs and Sailors; it has been an honor and a pleasure to command this mighty war ship.”

The crew assembled and waited on the arrival of Rear Adm. Samuel Perez, Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 1 commander. As the guest speaker, Perez spoke of the accomplishments of Bunker Hill while under DeScisciolo’s command.

“Being the commanding officer of a ship is not easy, and from everything that I see, you (DeScisciolo) forged a winning team and did it with a sense of ease that belies a commanding officer,” said Perez.

During DeScisciolo’s 21-month tenure, the ship escorted USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) during the Nimitz-Class aircraft carrier’s three month transit to its new home port of San Diego. Along the way, Bunker Hill responded with CSG-1 as part of Haitian relief efforts after the 7.0 magnitude earth quake struck the island nation.

Upon return, Bunker Hill participated in multiple high profile events, including the 2010 Portland Rose Festival and playing host to the Russian Federation Cruiser Varyag’s visit to San Francisco. Soon after, Bunker Hill departed on its second post-modernization deployment, operating in the 5th and 7th Fleets as Air Defense Commander for CSG 1. While operating in the Middle East, the ship provided direct support for Operations Enduring Freedom and New Dawn, advancing critical U.S. interests in the region.

DeScisciolo is scheduled to report as Director of the Mine Warfare Battle staff at the Naval Mine and Anti-Submarine Warfare Command in San Diego.
US Navy Recruiting | No Fear Act | FOIA | USA.gov | US Navy | US Marine Corps | Navy Reserves | Individual Augmentee | Veterans Crisis Line This is an official United States Navy Website. This US Government system is subject to monitoring. Please read our Privacy Policy notice.

The appearance of external hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement by the United States Department of Defense, or the United States Department of the Navy of the linked web sites, or the information, products or services contained therein. For other than authorized activities such as military exchanges and Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) sites, the United States Department of Defense, the Department of the Navy  does not exercise any editorial control over the information you may find at these locations. Such links are provided consistent with the stated purpose of this DoD web site.
Share