Lavan Takes Command Of USS John L. Hall

On Aug. 22, Cmdr. Augustus P. Bennett was relieved by Cmdr. Derek M. Lavan as Commanding Officer during a change of command ceremony on board USS John L. Hall. The ceremony was held at sea due to SORTIE conditions.

Bennett received command of the USS John L. Hall on Jan.12, 2007, and has successfully led the ship through several high profile inspections like ULTRAs and INSURV, various joint exercises, including Operation Nomad Fire in support of The President of the United States, as well as a highly visible Mediterranean and Black Sea deployment where he and the crew hosted Foreign Presidents, Ambassadors, and the Secretary of the Navy.

Lavan is a NROTC graduate from Tufts University who comes to the USS John L. Hall from the staff of Commander, Naval Air Forces in San Diego where he served as the Deputy Force Nuclear Propulsion Officer.