Capt. Michael A. Sammataro Assumes Command of SUPSHIP Newport News

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (September 18, 2026) — In a time-honored naval ceremony steeped in maritime tradition, Capt. Michael A. Sammataro, a native of Waterford, Connecticut, relieved Capt. Hannah A. Kriewaldt to assume command as the 29th Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Conversion and Repair (SUPSHIP), USN, Newport News.

Presided over by Rear Adm. Casey Moton, Portfolio Acquisition Executive (PAE) Maritime , the ceremony brought together senior Navy leaders, civilian executives, waterfront personnel, and industry partners to witness the transfer of authority and responsibility for the Navy’s waterfront oversight of its critical carrier and submarine construction programs.

At Newport News, SUPSHIP oversees the design, procurement, construction, nuclear refueling, and complex lifecycle maintenance of the nation’s nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and submarines in direct partnership with Huntington Ingalls Industries–Newport News Shipbuilding. Capt. Sammataro now leads an elite on-site workforce consisting of more than 600 civilian specialists and military personnel who serve as the Navy’s on-site technical, contractual, and quality authority.

In his address to the assembled military and civilian workforce, Capt. Sammataro underscored the imperative of velocity, precision, and alignment across the waterfront.

"The Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Caudle, is recapitalizing the Foundry: the shoreside support that delivers warfighting capability to the Fleet. We—SUPSHIP, Newport News Shipbuilding, and our government and industry partners—are a vital part of the Foundry," Sammataro told the audience. "Our mission is to deliver naval combat power. There is no more important mission than what we do every day to get submarines and aircraft carriers, this era's capital ships, to the Fleet."

Emphasizing the geopolitical stakes facing the United States and the shipbuilding enterprise, Sammataro highlighted the urgency required on the deckplates.

"We are being challenged every day by countries who would reshape the way the world works and destroy the freedom of navigation that enables our way of life and that of other free nations around the globe," Sammataro said. "We can tell our competitors 'not today' only as long as we can put credible combat power to sea. There are a lot of challenges, and it lands on us as SUPSHIP to brutally assess, identify gaps, and work with the government and industry team to close those gaps and get capability to the Fleet faster. Some of these issues require generational fixes. All of them require innovation and hard work across all disciplines, from the executive suite to the deckplate. All of us are essential—there are no small jobs in shipbuilding."

Sammataro also stressed the shared responsibility between the Navy and its industry partners to remove barriers and accelerate execution.

"To my team, you are empowered to execute your part of the mission to drive outcomes and deliver ships. Be relentless, be impatient," Sammataro stated. "To our industry partners: we're all here to deliver ships. We will hold each other accountable and work together as partners to do so. The success or failure of both our organizations is intertwined."

He concluded his remarks with a direct call to service and execution: "We must be ready when we are called to use our skills for the mission, because our fellow Americans are counting on us to deliver ships that defend the freedoms we hold dear. That is our mandate, every day. This is our hour. That thought energizes me and I hope it energizes you. I look forward to working with you all. Let's go deliver some ships."

About SUPSHIP Newport News:

Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Conversion and Repair, USN, Newport News (SUPSHIPNN) is the Department of the Navy’s on-site technical, contractual, and quality authority embedded at Huntington Ingalls Industries–Newport News Shipbuilding. SUPSHIPNN ensures the Navy’s capital warships—including Ford-class aircraft carriers and nuclear-powered fast attack and ballistic missile submarines—are engineered, built, overhauled, and tested to the highest standards of combat lethality before joining the fleet.

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