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NEWS | May 13, 2016

Floating Drydock Arco Holds Change of Command

By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Ronald Gutridge, Commander, Submarine Squadron 11 Public Affairs

SAN DIEGO -- Lt. Cmdr. Zachary Harry relieved Lt. Cmdr. Kevin Sims as commanding officer of the auxiliary repair drydock, medium, Arco (ARDM 5) in a time-honored change of command ceremony at Naval Base Point Loma, May 13.

Guest speaker Capt. Gene Doyle, chief of staff, Commander, Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet praised Sims and his crew for their exceptional performance on their accomplishments together.

“Beyond all of his mission accomplishments, I stand in awe of Lt. Cmdr. Sims’ leadership skills,” said Doyle. “He knows his crew’s strengths and weaknesses. He knows when to apply the gas and when to tap the breaks. I thank you and congratulate you on a job well done. Your performance has been outstanding and you led your team well throughout your tenure.”

Following his remarks, Capt. Brian Davies, Commander, Submarine Squadron 11, presented Sims with the Meritorious Service Medal for his exceptional performance from May 2014 to May 2016.

Sims reflected on his time in command and attributed the repair facilities’ success to his crew and their hard work.

“Although I am the one that gets to stand before you today, the last two years has been about the Sailors of Arco,” said Sims. “I have had the opportunity to work with some of the best and brightest Sailors the Navy has to offer, and every Arco Sailor is most certainly included in that category.”

Following Harry’s assumption of command, he addressed his crew for the first time.

“As Arco, we’ll continue providing excellent support and service to the submarine fleet,” said Harry. “I’m looking forward to working with all activities that make our Navy the greatest in the world.”

Sims, a native of Morrow, Georgia, enlisted in the Navy January 1990 and entered the nuclear propulsion program. He was commissioned as a Nuclear Power Limited Duty Officer in February 2001 and earned a Bachelor of Science in Nuclear Engineering Technology from Thomas Edison State University, Trenton, New Jersey. His sea tours include USS Stonewall Jackson (SSBN 728), USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70), USS Columbus (SSN 762), USS San Francisco (SSN 711) and USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75).

Sims is scheduled to report for duty to Commander, Naval Air Force U.S. Pacific Fleet, San Diego, California.

Harry, a native of Angie, Louisiana, completed Nuclear Field “A” School and Nuclear Power School in Orlando, Florida, and later completed the Naval Nuclear Power Training Unit in Charleston, South Carolina. In January 2003, Harry was commissioned as a Limited Duty Officer.

His previous sea tours include USS George Washington (CVN 73), USS Emory S. Land
(AS 39), USS Nimitz (CVN 68), USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) and USS Ronald Reagan
(CVN 76).

Arco (ARDM 5), the second drydock to bear the name Arco, was built by the Todd Pacific Shipyard Corporation, Seattle, Washington. Arco was placed in service on June 23, 1986, and currently has a crew of 104. It has a lifting capacity of 7,800 tons, is 492 feet long, 96 feet wide and has a wing wall height of 61 feet. The drydock is equipped with two wing wall cranes capable of lifting up to 25 tons each. Arco is used primarily for dry-docking and servicing 637 and 688 class submarines.

Arco is a CSS-11 asset under the operational control of Commander, Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet.