Two senior Navy officers stepped down from key positions in Hawaii on Friday in a pair of routine change-of-command ceremonies.

Rear Adm. Timothy Kott, commander of Navy Region Hawaii and Surface Group Middle Pacific, or MIDPAC — will retire after 32 years of service.

Capt. James “Gordie” Meyer, commander of Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Hawaii, will stay on-island and serve as lead officer in supporting Naval Facilities Engineering Command’s defueling of the Navy’s underground Red Hill storage facility, according to a Navy news release.

Both men have been in the news as they dealt with various aspects of Red Hill jet fuel contamination of the Navy’s water system on Oahu, which serves 93,000 island residents.

Summer is when transfers typically happen, allowing service members with children to move without interrupting their school year. A typical rotation for officers at a duty station is one to three years. Meyer assumed his command in June 2020, and Kott took command in June 2021.

Navy Region Hawaii extends over 23,000 acres on land and sea, including Joint Base Pearl Harbor- Hickam and the Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai, with Kott overseeing day-to-day base administration and operations. MIDPAC includes all the Hawaii-based surface ships in Hawaii.

Over his yearlong tenure, Kott oversaw the transition of separating the two roles by turning MIDPAC into a separate operationally focused battle staff to operate and oversee the Hawaii-based ships. That process ended in June when Capt. Joe Ring officially took command of MIDPAC.

“It was an honor and privilege to work alongside the active-duty, reserve and civilian employees of Navy Region Hawaii and MIDPAC in the historic and beautiful location of Pearl Harbor,” said Kott during his retirement ceremony. “I am grateful to our local partners and ohana who supported us and helped us achieve our vital mission here.”

At NAVFAC Hawaii, Meyer was responsible for overseeing construction and maintenance in Navy and Marine Corps facilities in the Hawaiian Islands. That included facility planning, managing contracts and a litany of other duties. According to the Navy’s news release, injuries declined 24% under his watch.

Among NAVFAC Hawaii’s responsibilities is supporting the maintenance and operation of the network of fuel pipelines connecting Red Hill to JBPHH.

In May 2021, after a spill from a pipeline in the Red Hill facility, Meyer testified to state lawmakers that the fuel was “captured and fully contained” and that the “containment system in the lower access tunnel worked exactly as intended.”

But in November a pipeline associated with the facility’s fire suppression system burst, and shortly afterward, service members and families reported feeling ill and their water smelling and tasting strange.

Joint Base Pearl Harbor- Hickam commander Capt. Erik Spitzer initially insisted to residents the water was safe to drink, for which he later apologized in a Facebook post. During town hall meetings both Kott and Spitzer addressed angry crowds of base residents demanding answers and action.

During a 13-hour hearing Dec. 21 in which the Navy was resisting a state-issued emergency order to drain the tanks, Meyer testified that he had a “working theory” that some of the fuel from the May spill got pumped into the fire suppression system. After months in the pipe, it eventually ruptured, and the fuel flowed into a drain used to release rainfall infiltration into the environment.

The contamination affected the water supply not just of military families, but also civilians in former military housing, along with several schools and businesses. During Meyer’s change of command, Rear Adm. Dean A. VanderLey, commander of NAVFAC Pacific, told the audience, “NAVFAC Hawaii is one of our more challenging Facilities Engineering Systems Command.”

“I am extremely proud of everything that NAVFAC Hawaii has accomplished under Gordie’s leadership,” VanderLey added. “Gordie has a level of personal sacrifice and engagement greater than any officer I’ve ever seen. He is a commanding officer that will do whatever it takes, no matter what it takes, and no matter how hard he has to work to do it.”

During the ceremony VanderLey awarded Meyer the Legion of Merit, a military award “for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements.” Meyer will be replaced at NAVFAC Hawaii by Capt. Cameron Geertsema.

“The most important thing for me is to thank everyone for everything they have done the past two years,” said Meyer. “It has been great being a part of the NAVFAC Hawaii ohana. It is a bittersweet day with mixed emotions as it is hard to say goodbye, but I am looking forward to seeing the great things Capt. Geertsema is going to do.”

During a Tuesday change-of-command ceremony, Kott awarded Spitzer with the Legion of Merit as well. Spitzer handed command of the base to Capt. Mark Sohaney, who comes from commanding Naval Air Station Key West. Fla.

Kott will be succeeded at Navy Region Hawaii by Rear Adm. Stephen Barnett, a Navy aviator with several past assignments in Hawaii and who previously oversaw Navy Region Northwest.

“I am excited for the opportunity to serve in Hawaii,” said Barnett as he took command. “This is an area of great importance both historically and strategically. I look forward to collaborating with our community leaders and partners as we continue to work together on issues that impact all of us.”