USS Ralph Johnson Change of Command

by USS Ralph Johnson (DDG 114) public affairs

18 June 2021 EVERETT, WA – Cmdr. Colin Roberts relieved Cmdr. Robert Biggs as commanding officer of guided missile destroyer USS Ralph Johnson (DDG 114) at Naval Station Everett during a change of command ceremony, June 18.
 
“Serving the Ralph Johnson team and being a part of their first operational deployment has been a privilege,” said Cmdr. Biggs. “The trust that we placed in each other enabled the crew to excel and overcome the challenges that we faced. DDG 114 is in good hands with Cmdr. Roberts going forward; they are fortunate to serve with an officer with his empathy, common sense and skillset.”
 
Cmdr. Biggs took command of USS Ralph Johnson in November 2019. During his command tour, USS Ralph Johnson deployed to U.S. 5th and 7th Fleet for more than nine months during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, served as the Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) commander for the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group, conducted multiple live fire events including the Flight Test Aegis Weapon System-31 (FTM-31), also known as “Stellar Cobra,” supporting Missile Defense Agency BMD objectives. USS Ralph Johnson was awarded the 2020 Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Ship-Helicopter Safety Award, Retention Excellence Award, four command excellence awards, and the 2020 Battle “E.”
 
Cmdr. Biggs’s next duty assignment is commanding officer of Afloat Training Group Middle Pacific (ATG MIDPAC) in Pearl Harbor.
 
Cmdr. Roberts, the incoming commanding officer, is a native of Lake Stevens, Washington and received his commission through the University Of Washington’s Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) program in 2003. His previous sea assignments include division officer tours on USS Mason (DDG 87) and USS Whidbey Island (LSD 41), operations officer on USS John S. McCain (DDG 56), and operations officer (N3) on the staff of Commander, Task Force 65/Commander, Destroyer Squadron 60 in Naples, Italy. Following his department head tours, he served as commanding officer of USS Zephyr (PC 8) followed by executive officer aboard USS Ralph Johnson from to September 2019 to April 2021.
 
“To the Ralph Jonson team, I can honestly say there is no other group of men and women with whom I would rather face that challenge because I know that you are the best there is and that you will continue to take care of each other and maintain that incredible sense of Ralph Johnson pride, and I simply look forward to being a part of it,” said Cmdr. Biggs.
 
USS Ralph Johnson was commissioned March 24, 2018 and is the 64^th Arleigh Burke-class destroyer built by Huntington Ingalls Industries in Pascagoula, Mississippi. The ship is assigned to Destroyer Squadron Nine (DESRON 9), and is homeported in Everett, Washington.