A U.S. Navy submarine that carries the North Dakota name is getting a new commanding officer.
Command of the USS North Dakota will transfer from Cmdr. Robert Edmonson III to Cmdr. Towney Kennard III during a Thursday morning ceremony at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine, according to information supplied by USS North Dakota Committee Chairman Bob Wefald, of Bismarck. Kennard will be the ship’s fifth commander.
Kennard is a Georgia native who has served on numerous ships, including as an engineering officer on the USS North Dakota. He also has held several onshore Navy positions, and has earned numerous awards including the Global War on Terror Expeditionary Medal.
The $2.6 billion, 377-foot-long USS North Dakota is able to launch cruise missiles, deliver special forces and carry out surveillance. It was commissioned at Groton, Connecticut, in 2014, becoming the first Navy vessel in a century to carry the name North Dakota. A World War I-era battleship also was named for the state.
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The submarine was certified for overseas deployment in 2018 and made its first such voyage in August of that year.
Under Edmonson’s command the submarine completed two deployments. The ship will be in the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard for up to 2 ½ years for maintenance and repairs as well as electronic and weapons systems upgrades.
“All of us in the great state of North Dakota are very proud of our namesake submarine, and we are honored she carries the name USS North Dakota,” Wefald said in a statement.