The ceremony marked the transfer of command from Capt. Gary L. Cave to Capt. Amy M. McInnis, who became the ship's 5th commanding officer. Cave assumed command of Zumwalt in August 2020 after serving nearly two years as executive officer.
“I am tremendously proud of the officers and crew of Zumwalt, who have consistently shown resiliency, self-reliance, and tremendous character while balancing competing demands of fleet operations, training and certification, and critical activation and testing of our first-in-class stealth destroyer,” said Cave. “These incredible Sailors are the reason we continue to make progress in delivering 21st century capabilities to the Fleet.”
During Cave’s time in command, Zumwalt completed first-in-class testing, including final heavy weather certification, standard missile live fire events, and events leading to final certification of the MK46 30mm cannons. Other operations at sea validated new technologies inherent in the Zumwalt class design and pioneered tactics and concepts of operation in coordination with Surface Development Squadron (SURFDEVRON) ONE.
“The joy and fulfillment I have experienced in my time in command is almost exclusively due to this incredible crew,” said Cave. “During my tour, we have experienced some tremendous successes and we have come together to weather some devastating setbacks. As Adm. Zumwalt noted ‘the best warships in the world are of no avail without the crews to sail and fight them.’ I count myself incredibly fortunate to have been blessed with an outstanding group of Sailors from start to finish.”
McInnis has served as Zumwalt’s executive officer since June 2020. She previously commanded USS Howard (DDG 83). Her other afloat assignments include USS Ashland (LSD 48), USS Porter (DDG 78), USS Hewitt (DD 966), and USS Higgins (DDG 77) where she participated in UNITAS, three carrier strike group deployments to the Arabian Gulf, and a U.S. 7th Fleet deployment.
Commissioned in 2016, USS Zumwalt is named in honor of Adm. Elmo R. Zumwalt Jr., a native of Tulare, California and 1942 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy. After serving as the Commander, U.S. Naval Forces in Vietnam, he was appointed as the 19th Chief of Naval Operations, the youngest admiral to hold the position. Known as a reformer, innovator, and Sailor advocate, his programs had lasting impact on the Navy’s warfighting readiness and most importantly bettered the branch of service through quality of life improvements and institutionalizing equality for minorities and women in the Navy.