The reins of the Royal Canadian Navy on the West Coast will change hands this summer.

After two years at the helm, Rear Admiral Nigel Greenwood will hand over command of naval operations to Commodore Bill Truelove at a change-of-command ceremony scheduled for early June.

Truelove, who will be promoted to the rank of rear admiral, is currently serving in Kabul, Afghanistan. Greenwood is set to retire from navy life.

Commodore Peter Ellis, who commands the Pacific fleet of naval ships, is also moving on this summer. He will be promoted to the rank of rear admiral and will become deputy commander of the Canadian Expeditionary Force Command in Ottawa.

His replacement will be navy Capt. Scott Bishop, who is coming from a command position in Halifax.

Defence Minister Peter MacKay announced several promotions and appointments for senior military personnel on March 27 and applauded them for being "strong institutional leaders."

emccracken@vicnews.com