Masked captains exchange command at Bremerton naval shipyard

The Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton welcomed a new commander last week, in a slimmed-down ceremony designed to prevent coronavirus spread.

Capt. James P. “Jip” Mosman relieved Capt. Dianna Wolfson during the ceremony in the historic headquarters building.

The Dec. 4 event was live-streamed and in-person attendance was limited to around 50 people, including immediate family members, all socially distanced, according to a Navy press release.

In a first for the shipyard, the presiding officer for the ceremony, Vice Adm. William J. Galinis, commander, Naval Sea Systems Command, participated in the event via teleconference from NAVSEA headquarters in Washington, D.C.

“Although the current pandemic prohibits my ability to attend in person, it is an amazing feeling to be a part of the time-honored tradition of a change of command,” Galinis told the assembled sailors and their families.

Wolfson became the first woman ever to lead a U.S. Naval shipyard upon taking command at Bremerton in June 2019. She will also be the first woman shipyard commander of Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, Virginia, when she assumes command there on Jan. 15.

“I want you to know that it has been my greatest honor to serve as your shipyard commander,” Wolfson said. “I am leaving this tour, a stronger, more capable leader, with some of the deepest connections one could possibly imagine, because all of you so graciously accepted me into your shipyard family.”

Mosman, originally from Granby, Colorado, is returning for a second stint at the Bremerton shipyard, where he last served in 2006-2008, working on several aircraft carrier and submarine projects. Since 2017, he has served as operations officer the Norfolk, Va., Naval Shipyard. He recently did a short stint at the Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington, D.C.

“My family and I have been welcomed back to the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard family after traveling around the world and the Navy for the past 12 years,” Mosman said. “It’s wonderful to be back in the Pacific Northwest and back here at this amazing shipyard.”

Mosman entered the U.S. Navy as a nuclear propulsion officer and attended Officer Candidate School in Pensacola, Florida.He served aboard numerous ships, incuding USS Nimitz (CVN 68), USS Enterprise (CVN 65) and USS George Washington (CVN 73). He deployed to the Persian Gulf and participated in Operation Enduring Freedom aboard USS Ingraham (FFG 61)

He has also served with a navy repair facility in Yokosuka, Japan.

With a workforce of more than 15,000 civilians and military personnel, the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard is the largest employer in the region. Established in 1891, the shipyard and its adjoining maintenance facility is the Pacific Northwest’s largest naval shore station and one of Washington State’s largest industrial installations.

This story was originally published December 7, 2020 at 5:30 AM.