Lieut. Cmdr. Alexander B. Baynes of the United States Navy was promoted to his present rank on Sept. 1. The promotion ceremony was attended by his parents, Les and Judy Baynes of Edgartown, who conducted the pinning at a ceremony in California. Lieutenant Commander Baynes is a submarine engineering duty officer. He was previously assigned to Norfolk Naval Shipyard; USS Alaska (SSBN-732); Supervisor of Ship Building, Groton, Conn.; and Ship Repair Facility / Japan Regional Maintenance Center, Yokosuka, Japan.

Lieutenant Commander Baynes is currently assigned to Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif., where he is pursuing a Ph.D. in applied physics. He is also completing a master’s degree in management science and engineering from Stanford University.

Lieutenant Commander Baynes is a 2000 graduate of Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School and a 2004 graduate of Cornell University. He holds master’s degrees in physics and applied mathematics from Naval Postgraduate School from a previous assignment.