Capt. Gregory Thomas relieved Capt. Frank Camelio as commander in a special ceremony today. The shipyard also received a VPP Star for excellence in safety from the Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Thomas will be the 46th commander of the shipyard, which is the largest industrial employer in Hawai'i with a workforce of 4,800.

A native of Portsmouth, Va., Thomas previously served as the operations officer at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, N.H., and holds a Ph.D. in hydrodynamics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

"I know Capt. Thomas is ready and more than up to the task," said Camelio, who is stepping down after three years as commander of the shipyard and a 30-year career in the Navy.

In recent years, Pearl Harbor shipyard has faced the challenge of modernizing its World War I and World War II infrastructure and a closure scare in 2005.