YOKOSUKA, Japan – In a socially-distanced change of command ceremony, Cmdr. Anthony Massey relieved Cmdr. Diane Cua as commanding officer of the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG 54) on April 14 at Fleet Activities Yokosuka.
Cua served as the commanding officer from October 2019 to April 2021, and will report to serve on the staff of Chief of Naval Personnel, in Washington, DC, for her next assignment.
“It has been a challenging deployment, but our team has been self-sufficient, tough, and resilient,” said Cua.
During her last few days underway with Curtis Wilbur, Cua also expressed her feelings about her time as commanding officer.
“The Sailors of Curtis Wilbur have impressed me with their motivation and dedication to accomplishing numerous missions in 7th Fleet. I am proud of each member of Curtis Wilbur, and have been humbled to learn from and work with the best crew on the waterfront. I am thankful for this amazing opportunity to have served as their commanding officer.”
The ceremony marked the end of a successful tour for Cua, as the ship’s 19th commanding officer. She led Curtis Wilbur through the end of a CNO maintenance availability, an arduous basic phase training and certification cycle, and into a 6-month deployment.
Amid the COVID-19 global pandemic, Curtis Wilbur participated in multiple freedom of navigation operations in the Indo Pacific theater, independently deployed operations, and carrier strike group operations with USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76). Curtis Wilbur’s work with U.S. allies and partners in the region supported the U.S. Navy’s mutual commitment to international maritime norms and regional stability.
Massey served previously as executive officer aboard Curtis Wilbur.
Curtis Wilbur is assigned to Task Force 71/Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 15, the Navy’s largest forward-deployed DESRON and the U.S. 7th Fleet’s Theater Surface Warfare Commander.