KITTERY, Maine (KFGO) – A change of command Thursday for the USS North Dakota, a Virgina-class fast attack submarine. The new skipper on board is Cmdr. Towney G. Kennard III. A formal ceremony took place at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine.
Cmdr. Kennard is the sub’s 5th Commanding Officer, taking over from Cmdr. Robert Edmondson III who completed two deployments on the USS North Dakota. Cmdr. Kennard is well acquainted with the USS North Dakota. In a previous tour, he served as the submarine’s chief engineer.
Chairman of the USS North Dakota Committee, Bob Wefald of Bismarck, joined with the ship’s crew and special guests at Thursday’s ceremony. He says the multi-mission nuclear submarine commissioned nine years ago is now at the Portsmouth Naval Yard undergoing maintenance and upgrading certain electronics and weapon systems that may take more than two years.
When the work is completed, the sub will be stationed at Pearl Harbor. Wefald says, “The big thing to worry about now is the action in the Pacific with China and the USS North Dakota will be going to go over there to do ‘her’ roll in the Pacific.”
