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Ellsworth man to take command of US sub
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Richard Rhinehart
FAMILY PROFILE
Richard E. Rhinehart Jr.
Navy Cmdr. Richard E. Rhinehart Jr., a native of Ellsworth, will assume command April 14 of the nuclear attack submarine USS North Carolina. Here is his family history:
Son of Richard and Audrey Rhinehart Sr. of Ellsworth.
Brother of Tracy Rhinehart of Brecksville and Cindy Lanterman of Canfield.
The commander and his wife, Stephanie, have two daughters, Sarah, 15, and Emma, 13.
Source: The Vindicator, Rhinehart family
ELLSWORTH
As a child, Richard E. Rhinehart Jr. enjoyed swimming in the pond behind his home off Gault Road.
A quarter of a century later, Rhinehart, a commander in the Navy, still spends a lot of time in the water.
On April 14, at age 41, Rhinehart will take command of the USS North Carolina (SSN 777), one of America’s elite Virginia-class nuclear-attack submarines. The change-of-command ceremony will be onboard the North Carolina at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
“We’re very proud of him. We’re busting our buttons,” said his mother, Audrey.
The North Carolina, commissioned May 3, 2008, is 377 feet long, weighs 7,800 tons when submerged, and has a crew of about 130.
Growing up in Ellsworth, Rhinehart was an Eagle Scout and excelled as a pianist. He was selected for the National Honor Society at Western Reserve High School in Berlin Center, where he was a member of the golf team, participated in school plays and was salutatorian of his 1988 graduating class.
Rhinehart received a bachelor of science degree in mathematics from Miami University in Ohio in 1992 and a master of science in aerospace engineering from the University of Michigan in 1994 before joining the Navy as an officer after training at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla. He also graduated from the Naval Nuclear Power School.
Rhinehart had long talked about a career in the military. His first choice was to be a pilot, but because of his eyesight, that was not possible, said his father, Richard Rhinehart Sr., who served in the Navy from 1957 to 1960.
During his naval career, Rhinehart steadily rose in rank and responsibility, beginning as a division officer on the USS Parche.
His other assignments were as fleet-exercise planner for commander, U.S. Naval Forces, Europe; engineer, USS West Virginia (Gold); squadron engineer for commander, Submarine Squadron 20; executive officer, USS Norfolk; and executive assistant, commander, Submarine Forces.
In August 2010 he became the prospective commanding officer of the USS North Carolina. Also last year, he was promoted to the rank of commander.