Capt. David S. Coles
Commander, Destroyer Squadron 50
16 November 2023
Captain Dave Coles grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. After graduating from St. Mary
’s College of California, he attended Navy Officer Candidate School in Pensacola, Florida and was commissioned October 2000. Coles holds master’s degrees from the University of San Francisco and the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.
A career surface warfare officer, he served onboard USS LAKE CHAMPLAIN (CG 57) as strike officer, USS CHUNG-HOON (DDG 93) as the commissioning navigator, and USS CARNEY (DDG 64) as operations officer. He next assumed command of PC CREW BRAVO, serving onboard USS MONSOON (PC 4), USS CHINOOK (PC 9), and USS THUNDERBOLT (PC 12), and led CREW BRAVO on a six-month maritime security deployment to U.S. 5th Fleet.
Most recently afloat, he served as executive officer and then commanding officer of USS ROSS (DDG 71). Forward-deployed to the European theater, Coles completed five multi-mission U.S. 6th Fleet patrols on ROSS. During his command tour Team ROSS earned the Battle-Efficiency award.
Ashore, Coles served as naval fires officer at COMBINED JOINT TASK FORCE – HORN OF AFRICA in Djibouti, Djibouti, contingency planner on the U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Area headquarters staff, defense legislative fellow in the personal office of a U.S. congressman, and flag aide to the 30th Chief of Naval Operations. Most recently ashore, he served as naval armaments cooperation director and defense attaché to the U.S. Mission to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in Brussels, Belgium.
Captain Coles reported to Destroyer Squadron FIFTY in Manama, Bahrain as deputy commodore November 2022. He assumed command of “America’s DESRON” November 2023.