The captain of the USS Ford is being transferred to the Pentagon office that fights the spread of weapons of mass destruction.
Navy Cmdr. David Schnell this week said goodbye to the crew of the Everett-based frigate. He will report for duty in December to the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The Ford got a new leader Tuesday in a change-of-command ceremony, a tradition that dates back to the days of wooden sailing ships. Cmdr. Timothy Spratto, previously an instructor at the Navy’s Command Leadership School in Newport, R.I. took over as the Ford’s 12th captain.
Schnell’s departure was marked with humor and heartfelt remarks.
“I love this ship,” Schnell said. “I’ve told that to as many people that would listen to me for the past two years.”
Schnell joked that he wanted to read a book to the crowd gathered to watch the ceremony so he could prolong his time on his “swift, beautiful, ready-to-fight warship.”
He recalled his first time underway on the Ford, when the fast frigate faced 14-foot-high seas in a Pacific Ocean storm.
“I was certain the keel would snap and the bow would sink into the ocean.”
Having never been on a guided-missile frigate before, he quickly learned that his stateroom was high and far forward, the place on the ship where the sway from stormy seas was strongest. Schnell said that spot for the captain’s quarters was probably “a sick joke by a naval engineer somewhere.”
He remembered as well the Ford’s last deployment, a 35,000-mile journey that came to a close last week. At the tail end of the extended trip, he rewarded the crew with a “swim call” and let the ship drift for five hours west of Borneo.
Schnell watched as Ford sailors swam in water 1,000 feet deep and floated on the surface like bait.
“Did I jump in? Heck, no. I have to be able to touch the bottom.”
Schnell thanked his supporters on shore, those who helped families through sea duty and the demands of Navy life. He also thanked Lt. Cmdr. Mike Lehman, the ship’s executive officer, who shared the captain’s passion for politics, movies and Spam – and made sure Spam sushi was served at Schnell’s farewell dinner.
To his crew, Schnell gave his deep appreciation. They had been together for 22 months, or as the captain would remember it, for 62 billion heartbeats.
Best of all was the time he spent each day with the sailors. “It was the highlight of my day, I never tired of it.”
That image was underscored by Capt. James Wisecup, director of the White House situation room, who served with Schnell in the Navy’s 5th Fleet during the war in Afghanistan.
“It’s not about the machines, it’s about the people,” Wisecup said.
A frigate is like a nervous racehorse, he said, powered by the dedicated work of its sailors in an uncertain world.
“We’re in a new era, and though there are many reasons for hope, there are also many reasons for concern. The world is a dangerous place,” Wisecup said.
And to the Ford crew, “the rough and the ready,” Wisecup’s message was simple: Be ready.
Spratto, the ship’s new captain, has never been far from wide-open waters. He grew up in Marquette, Mich. on the shore of Lake Superior. Spratto watched freighters ply the biggest and coldest of the Great Lakes. He joined the Navy’s enlisted ranks in 1981 but later became an officer.
Spratto was thrilled when he learned 10 months ago that he would be the Ford’s next captain. He rode the Ford home to Everett from San Diego on the last leg of its deployment.
“From the first moment, I could tell for myself why this ship has such a great reputation,” Spratto said. It’s the crew.
“Confident, dedicated, enthusiastic, no matter where I turned I found sailors focused on the task at hand and proud of the job they do,” Spratto said.
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