The Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarine, USS HAWAII (SSN-776) arrived at her new homeport of Pearl Harbor on July 23rd, greeted by family and friends of the crew, Navy officials and state dignitaries.
HAWAII is the third Virginia-class submarine constructed and the first submarine to bear the name of the Aloha state. HAWAII is capable of supporting a multitude of missions, including anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface ship warfare, strike, naval special warfare involving special operations forces, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, irregular warfare, and mine warfare. USS HAWAII's official motto is "Kūpale ‘Āina," translated from Hawaiian, "Defending the Land."
Previous US Navy ships bearing names associated with Hawaii include the Los Angeles-class ex-USS HONOLULU (SSN-718) (now decommissioned and placed in the Navy's submarine recycling program), the Benjamin Franklin-class ballistic missile submarine ex-USS KAMEHAMEHA (SSBN-642) (same fate as SSN-718), and the World War II-era light cruiser, ex-USS HONOLULU (CL-48), recipient of eight battle stars for WWII service and a major player in the Battle of Leyte Gulf in the Philippines, disposed of in 1949 after 11 years service.
A Blogger account of HAWAII's voyage from the mainland to her new MIDPAC homeport is chronicled here by her Commanding Officer, CDR Ed Herrington, US Navy - a most interesting read.
Mahalo nui loa, CDR Herrington, Officers and Crew of USS HAWAII for your dedicated service and for safely bringing this most capable addition to the Fleet to Kō Hawaiʻi Pae ʻĀina.
Aloha!
US Navy photos by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class N. Brett Morton/Released
this is the platform my son served on a couple of years ago!!
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