McLaren Joins USS De Wert

The ceremony was held on board USS De Wert, pier side at Naval Station Mayport, with Commodore Glenn W. Zeiders III, Commander, Destroyer Squadron 14, presiding.

McLaren is a native of Jacksonville, Florida and a 1991 graduate from the United States Naval Academy.

His service afloat includes tours aboard USS Leahy (CG 16), USS Chancellorsville (CG 62), USS Higgins (DDG 76), and USS Boone (FFG 28).

Ashore, he has served on the staff at 6th and 7th Fleets, and most recently completed a tour as the PCO Course Coordinator at the Surface Warfare Officers School in Newport, Rhode Island.

Kirk led De Wert through a highly-successful Ship's Restricted Availability (SRA) period, and an ULTRA-S, ULTRA-C, and ULTRA-E inspection.

Cmdr. Jim Kirk

Under Kirk's unwavering leadership, De Wert also completed a counter-narco terrorism deployment October 5, 2008, during which De Wert played a key role De Wert played a key role in stemming the flow of illegal drugs into the United States, seizing more than six metric tons of cocaine with an import value of more than $75 million.

His next assignment is with Carrier Strike Group Seven as the Surface Operations Officer.