USS Michael Murphy Holds 7th Change of Command

by LTJG Ana Mier, USS Michael Murphy (DDG 112)

30 June 2021 NAVAL BASE SAN DIEGO -- Cmdr. Jason A. Lautar relieved Cmdr. Scott P. Maloney as commanding officer of Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Michael Murphy (DDG 112) in a ceremony held at Naval Base San Diego, June 30.

Maloney, a native of Boston and the ship’s seventh commanding officer, assumed command of USS Michael Murphy in June 2020. He previously served as the ship’s executive officer from December 2018 to March 2020.

“Serving as commanding officer of the USS Michael Murphy has been challenging, fun, sometimes a bit lonely, exciting – a real roller coaster of peaks and valleys, but it has been great,” said Maloney. “I have learned a lot about myself, but above all, I had the opportunity to finally serve others in a position of influence and it’s an absolute privilege. During my years of Jesuit education at Boston College High School, we were instilled the motto of “man for others,” which means to serve others. I have found that role to be really present in this position as commanding officer. That has been the most memorable thing for me.”

While in command, Maloney led the ship and its 300-plus crewmembers through various training and operational events, totaling over 100 days away from homeport. For his next tour, Maloney is headed ashore to serve as executive assistant to Commander, Naval Surface Forces in San Diego.

“Take seriously the privilege to honor Michael Murphy and do that in your own way” said Maloney. “Find ways to celebrate the legacy of Michael Murphy, particularly so because his mother and father are still alive, his siblings, and plenty of people who knew him. Try to always earn the right to say, ‘I am a Michael Murphy Sailor.’”

As Michael Murphy’s newest commanding officer, Lautar, a native of Broomall, Pennsylvania, is familiar to the ship as he most recently served as Michael Murphy’s executive officer from April 2020 to May 2021. His previous sea tours include USS McInerney (FFG 8), Amphibious Squadron 8/Expeditionary Strike Group 6, USS Boone (FFG 28), and Destroyer Squadron 26. Ashore, he completed tours at the U.S. Naval Academy, Surface Warfare Officer School in Newport, Rhode Island, and Special Operations Command, Pacific.

Commissioned in 2012, Michael Murphy is named after Navy Seal Lt. Michael P. Murphy, who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions during Operation Red Wings in Afghanistan in 2005. Murphy 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.