Command of USS New Orleans changes hands

23 September 2021

From Petty Officer 2nd Class Desmond Parks

Capt. Douglas Graber relieved Capt. Brian Schrum during the ceremony in Sasebo, Japan.

SASEBO, Japan (Sept. 23, 2021) Capt. Douglas Graber, commanding officer of USS New Orleans (LPD 18), speaks during his change of command ceremony. New Orleans, part of the America Expeditionary Strike Group, is operating in the U.S. New Orleans, part of the America Expeditionary Strike Group, along with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility to enhance interoperability with allies and partners and serve as a ready response force to defend peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

Capt. Douglas Graber, commanding officer of USS New Orleans (LPD 18), speaks during his change of command ceremony in Sasebo, Japan, Sept. 23.

SASEBO, Japan – Capt. Douglas Graber relieved Capt. Brian Schrum as the commanding officer of USS New Orleans (LPD 18) in a change-of-command ceremony Sept. 23 in the ship’s well deck.

Schrum took command of New Orleans on July 14, 2020. His tour included multiple forward-deployed operational periods characterized by 13 joint and multilateral exercises throughout the Indo-Pacific region, all during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“My arrival in Japan was the start of an amazing tour on a great ship, with an extraordinary crew, and experiences that I will always cherish,” said Schrum. “Fourteen and a half months after, as my time in command draws to a close, I am incredibly thankful to have led this team through three patrols encompassing a total of nine months underway, through two continuous maintenance availabilities, a selected incremental availability, and all preparations leading to our CNO-select restricted availability.”

Schrum’s next assignment is on the staff of Commander, Naval Air Forces Pacific in San Diego.

“It has been a privilege working with Captain Schrum. He has been an outstanding commanding officer and made immense warfighting readiness contributions across the strike group and U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations,” said Rear Adm. Chris Engdahl, commander, Expeditionary Strike Group 7. “Captain Graber joins our team with a superb professional reputation honed by a variety of operational leadership assignments. I expect him to lead New Orleans to even higher levels of operational and warfighting readiness.”

SASEBO, Japan (Sept. 23, 2021) Side boys aboard USS New Orleans (LPD 18) render honors to Capt. Douglas Graber, commanding officer of USS New Orleans, during his change of command ceremony. New Orleans, part of the America Expeditionary Strike Group, is operating in the U.S. New Orleans, part of the America Expeditionary Strike Group, along with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility to enhance interoperability with allies and partners and serve as a ready response force to defend peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

SASEBO, Japan (Sept. 23, 2021) Side boys aboard USS New Orleans (LPD 18) render honors to Capt. Brian Schrum, departing commanding officer of New Orleans, during a change of command ceremony. New Orleans, part of the America Expeditionary Strike Group, is operating in the U.S. New Orleans, part of the America Expeditionary Strike Group, along with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility to enhance interoperability with allies and partners and serve as a ready response force to defend peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

SASEBO, Japan (Sept. 23, 2021) Capt. Brian Schrum, departing commanding officer of USS New Orleans (LPD 18), speaks during his change of command ceremony. New Orleans, part of the America Expeditionary Strike Group, is operating in the U.S. New Orleans, part of the America Expeditionary Strike Group, along with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility to enhance interoperability with allies and partners and serve as a ready response force to defend peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

Graber most recently served as the executive officer aboard USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70). He received an electrical engineering degree from Drexel University in 1996 and commissioned through Officer Candidate School. A career naval flight officer, he has spent most of his career flying the EA-6B Prowler electronic attack aircraft. He has more than two decades of service, including previous command leadership.

Together, the ships of Amphibious Squadron 11 and elements of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, the Navy’s only forward-deployed ARG-MEU team, are operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility to enhance interoperability with allies and partners, and serve as a ready response force to defend peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.