Gig Harbor officer takes command of advanced Navy ship

Navy Cmdr. Austin Duff of Gig Harbor has assumed command of Blue crew of the USS Montgomery, a littoral combat ship, in San Diego, CA, according to the Navy.

In a pierside change of command June 29, Duff relieved Cmdr. Edward Rosso, whose next assignment is with U.S. 4th Fleet Command in Mayport, Florida. He had been Rosso’s executive officer.

The USS Montgomery, (LCS-8) commissioned in 2016, is one of new class of sleek, fast ships designed to operate in shallow waters like rivers — thus “littoral” — as well as at sea. It has a unique trimaran hull that is almost completely enclosed topside, with a bridge that resembles a submarine conning tower. It is equipped with advanced sonar and mine-hunting technology, as well as drones. It can cruise at 40 knots and reach a top speed of 47 knots.

The Montgomery is attached to the U.S. 7th Fleet, which operates in the Western Pacific and Indian oceans. Like many Navy ships, it operates with two alternating crews, Blue and Gold, of 8 officers and 32 enlisted sailors each.

A 2001 computer engineering graduate of Washington State University, Duff was commissioned through the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps. He earned a master’s degree in engineering management from Old Dominion University and completed his military education at the Naval War College.

He has served as an engineer officer on two aircraft carriers, USS Nimitz and USS George Washington, and as commanding officer of three older-class coastal patrol craft, the USS Tempest, USS Hurricane and USS Firebolt.

This story was originally published July 7, 2020 at 12:00 AM.