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Navy relieves commander of ballistic missile submarine USS West Virginia
Summary by The Odessa Editorial Desk Mitchell Hoy , as published by Yourbasin / Big 2 KMID + Fox 24 KPEJ (Nexstar)
· August 5, 2026
· 1 min read
Photo: Yourbasin / Big 2 KMID + Fox 24 KPEJ (Nexstar) · view original
Story provenance No corrections
Summary created by The Odessa Editorial Desk — automated, rule-governed Byline on source page Mitchell Hoy, as published by Yourbasin / Big 2 KMID + Fox 24 KPEJ (Nexstar) Original story Read at the source Source published Aug 5, 2026 Indexed here Aug 5, 2026 AI assistance Automated summary drawn from the source’s own published text Prepublication human review No — editorial rules, flagged-item review, and published samples
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Key takeaway Joseph Sammur of his duties as commanding officer of the submarine's Blue Crew.
A change in command has occurred for the USS West Virginia, a ballistic missile submarine. The naval service has relieved Cmdr. Joseph Sammur of his duties as commanding officer of the submarine's Blue Crew.
The reason given for this decision is a loss of confidence in his ability to command. Cmdr. Luke Kelvington will take over as commander temporarily.
Further details on this development can be found through the naval service or other official sources, as the information available is limited to the reason for the change and the new temporary commander.
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As published by Yourbasin / Big 2 KMID + Fox 24 KPEJ (Nexstar) . The Odessa surfaces reporting from trusted publishers and adds local editorial context so readers can quickly understand what a story means for their community. We attribute every source, link to the original report, and follow a documented editorial standards policy. To understand how stories are selected and reviewed, read our about page .
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Category: local Published: August 5, 2026 Source: Yourbasin / Big 2 KMID + Fox 24 KPEJ (Nexstar) Reading time: 1 min
Frequently asked about this story
What is this story about? A change in command has occurred for the USS West Virginia, a ballistic missile submarine. The naval service has relieved Cmdr. Joseph Sammur of his duties as commanding officer of the submarine's…
When was this published? This article was first published on August 5, 2026 by Yourbasin / Big 2 KMID + Fox 24 KPEJ (Nexstar) and curated for The Odessa readers.
Who reported this story? This story was reported by Mitchell Hoy at Yourbasin / Big 2 KMID + Fox 24 KPEJ (Nexstar). To learn more about how The Odessa selects and reviews stories, see our editorial standards .
Where can I find related coverage? See more local coverage from The Odessa, or browse our daily briefing and topic hubs .
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