Groton ― Capt. Eric M. Sager, outgoing commanding officer of the U.S. Naval Submarine School, is always at the Naval Submarine Base gym the minute it opens in the morning, and his car is the last seen in the parking lot at night.

“He demonstrates his leadership and integrity for everyone to emulate,” said Capt. Steven W. Antcliff, commanding officer of the Submarine Learning Center and the guest speaker at the U.S. Naval Submarine School’s Change of Command ceremony on Friday.

Antcliff, who highlighted the work of Sager and his team to overhaul the curriculum to better align initial submarine training with the fleets’ needs, said Sager has taught him that family dedication and leadership are the keys to success, and Sager lives by those ideals everyday.

Sager turned over command of the submarine school to Capt. Matthew D. Fanning in a ceremony Friday before an audience of Navy leaders, veterans, submarine school members and family, at the Dealey Center Theater at the Naval Submarine Base.

Sager is slated to take over for Antcliff and become commanding officer of the Submarine Learning Center next week.

Sager has served as commanding officer of the submarine school for the past 18 months. His naval service includes commanding the USS California and earning the Vice Admiral James Bond Stockdale Award. He started his teaching career as Submarine Command Course instructor and has been stationed on submarines around the country.

Antcliff said the word “tenacity” describes both Sager and Fanning.

“You are definitely ready to take charge and make the submarine force stronger by leading the students and staff of this historic institution and creating the submarine force of tomorrow,” Antcliff told Fanning.

Fanning, who is from Bridgeport, and Sager, who is from Weymouth, Mass., served together a number of times, including when they first crossed paths as engineers on the USS Rhode Island.

Fanning’s Naval career includes serving as executive officer on the USS Toledo and commanding officer on the USS Hartford here. He also has been an instructor of the Submarine Command Course at the Naval Submarine School.

During his speech, Sager recognized and thanked a host of people. He said in the last 18 months, school staff has flourished and trained students of all levels. He said they continued the tradition of excellence at the submarine school, which started in 1916, and called them “one of the most exceptional teams I’ve ever worked with.”

The ceremony included the parading of the colors by the Naval Submarine School Silver Dolphins Color Guard and an invocation and a benediction by Lt. Hafiz Ally, naval submarine school chaplain.

During the ceremony, Capt. Jason Deichler received a Legion of Merit for his service as submarine school director of training from May 2020 to June 2023.

Fanning said that for more than 100 years, the school has prepared sailors to become submariners and in turn help submariners prepare for combat.

“It’s hard to imagine a finer place to serve than right here with all of you conducting this critical mission,” Fanning said.

In an interview after the ceremony, Fanning said he chose the job to give back to the submarine force everything it gave to him.

In March, leaders of the United States, United Kingdom and Australia announced the trilateral AUKUS agreement.

The submarine school said it is preparing to welcome three students from the Australian Navy around December.

Fanning said he went to Perth, Australia as a junior officer and the people were fabulous, so he’d like to also give back to them.

In his time as commanding officer of the submarine school, Sager said, in an interview, that he is most proud of helping prepare sailors.

He said the sailors we send to the fleet are “absolutely my proudest accomplishments.”

k.drelich@theday.com