USS Chung-Hoon Holds 10th Change of Command

16 August 2019 PEARL HARBOR (NNS) — USS Chung-Hoon (DDG 93) held a change of command ceremony at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, August 16.

The ceremony marked the passage of command from Cmdr. Brent S. Jackson to Cmdr. Stephen J. Henz. Jackson, the ship's 10th commanding officer, assumed command of Chung-Hoon in May 2018.

“Serving as commanding officer of Chung-Hoon has been the greatest honor of my career, and that is due solely to the extraordinary crew aboard this great ship,” said Jackson.

During Jackson’s time in command, Chung-Hoon completed a 7-month deployment and participated in numerous operations throughout the U.S. 5th, 6th and 7th Fleet areas of operations, to include some operations with partner nations. Specifically, while conducting Operation Nobel Torch, Chung-Hoon conducted three drug seizures, confiscating over $5 million worth of illegal drugs and 22,000 pounds of hashish being transported into Yemen, the first drug seizure by a U.S. Navy ship in 5th Fleet in over one and-a-half years.

While independently steaming, Chung-Hoon conducted 14 Bab al-Mandab Strait transits, many of them escorting merchant or other U.S. military vessels, and four Strait of Hormuz transits, one of which Chung-Hoon was the officer in tactical command of three U.S. ships and an Anzac-class frigate of the Royal Australian Navy. Chung-Hoon covered 54,000 nautical miles over the course of deployment.

“A ship is just a piece of steel without its crew, and the crew that I was fortunate enough to serve with was among the very best our Navy has to offer," said Jackson. "Through a grueling schedule over the last 15-months, the Koa Kai of Chung-Hoon has always worked toward the ship’s mission success, certainly bigger than any one person. They are determined and displayed an inspiring measure of pride in all that they did. The crew motivated me each day as they proudly honored the legacy of our namesake, RADM Gordon P. Chung-Hoon. I am eternally grateful to have been their shipmate."

Jackson is slated to serve as N8/9 at the Naval Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Center (SMWDC) Detachment in Point Loma, California, for his next tour.

Henz has served as CHUNG-HOON's executive officer since Dec 2017. His previous sea tours include USS VANDERGRIFT, CTF 70, USS HUE CITY, USS RUSSELL, USS COMSTOCK, and USS JARRETT. Ashore, he has served on the staffs of Commander, U.S. Fifth Fleet, and U.S. Indo-PACOM.

Commissioned in 2004, USS Chung-Hoon is named in honor of Rear Adm. Gordon P. Chung-Hoon (1910-1979), a recipient of the Navy Cross and Silver Star for extraordinary heroism while engaged in military operations and gallantry in action as commanding officer for USS Sigsbee (DD 502) from May 1944 through October 1945.

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