Navy commissions latest Virginia-class submarine in Groton ceremony
It would be years later during a return trip to Connecticut that he would discover that the Nautilus, the first nuclear-powered submarine, is now a museum.
Kirby was back in Connecticut on Saturday to witness the latest in submarine technology — modern submarines are bigger, faster and quieter than the diesel-powered submarine Kirby served on — at a commissioning ceremony for the Virginia-class USS Iowa (SSN 797).
The 377-foot long nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine docked in the Thames River at the Navy submarine base served as the background for Saturday's celebration, attended by hundreds of onlookers, including a large contingent of Navy veterans and Iowans.
Kirby said he wasn't surprised by the turnout, especially among submarine veterans, because there's a mutual respect and camaraderie among submariners, regardless of whether they wear silver or gold dolphins — symbols that differentiate enlisted from officers.
'They've worked together. They're in that steel tube together,' Kirby said.
Kirby, who lives in Iowa, attended with a group of members of the Submarine Veterans of Iowa. The Iowa group's president, retired submariner Paul Jensen, served in the Navy from 1989 to 1998 and was at one point stationed in Groton aboard the USS Billfish. During a night out at the Outer Light Brewing Company in Groton this week, Jensen said he ran into shipmates he hadn't seen in 25 years.
'We're all here in support,' Jensen said.
Saturday's ceremony was attended by dignitaries that included U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal, U.S Rep. Joe Courtney and Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds. Secretary of the Navy John Phelan was on hand for his first submarine commissioning. Phelan credited the 'world class public-private partnership' between the navy and shipbuilder General Dynamics Electric Boat and called it a 'fitting tribute to Groton's history of maritime excellence.'
'This is not just a milestone for the USS Iowa, but a crucial step forward in strengthening our Navy and ensuring America's global maritime dominance. The president and I are deeply committed to revitalizing our shipbuilding and maritime investment base. This commissioning is just the beginning of that effort,' Phelan said. 'We need to modernize our acquisition and procurement systems to deliver the capabilities our Navy deserves without unnecessary delays or overruns.'
Courtney, ranking member of the bipartisan House Seapower Subcommittee, said Groton's navy base is home to 15 fast attack submarines, 8,000 sailors and officers and hundreds of civilians who are operating at 'heel-to-toe tempo.'
Courtney recited a list of upcoming submarine deliveries and said, in a prepared statement, 'this torrent of post-pandemic deliveries is a powerful rebuttal to some armchair naysayers in Washington who disparage the men and women of our nation's submarine industrial base.'
'They are wrong. Since 2018, Congress has stepped up investment in workforce, facilities and supply chain all across the country, including Iowa — and its working,' he said.
The USS Iowa is the 24th Virginia-class submarine to be commissioned and the first specifically designed to accommodate women. The ban on women serving aboard submarines was lifted in 2010 under Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates. Julia Panepinto, 26, of Buffalo, N.Y., is the supply officer for the USS Iowa and said she's been sailing on the Iowa during its sea trials for the past year.
'At this point, there are so many women on board it's par for the course,' Panepinto said.
The USS Iowa was christened on June 17, 2023, at Electric Boat in Groton by its sponsor Christie Vilsack, wife of former Iowa governor and former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. Vilsack on Saturday made the traditional 'man our ship and bring her to life' announcement that led Iowa's crew to run and board the submarine.
The USS Iowa has a crew of 15 officers and 117 enlisted and carries torpedoes and Tomahawk missiles with a range of 1,200 miles. It is the first submarine, but third naval vessel, to be named Iowa. The previous vessels named Iowa were battleships. Iowa's commanding officer, Commander Gregory Coy, in his closing remarks on Saturday, promised he would take the USS Iowa 'to the frontline, continuing the Navy's overwhelming display of undersea dominance and lethality.'
g.smith@theday.com
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
2 days ago
- New York Post
Lucky NYC traveler finds $27K diamond in an Arkansas park — now she has a special use for it: ‘I got on my knees and cried'
She's a local rock star. Bidding a temporary farewell to the Big Apple boded well for future bride Micherre Fox, 31, who stumbled upon a 2.30-carat white diamond — worth around $27,000 — during a three-week hunt at the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas. It's a finger-licking find that's saving her fiancé a handful of dough. 5 Fox spent several weeks scouring through an Arkansas park, looking for a diamond for her engagement ring. Arkansas State Parks 'Having never seen an actual diamond in my hands, I didn't know for sure, but it was the most diamond-y diamond I had seen,' the Manhattan-based millennial raved in a statement. 'I got on my knees and cried, then started laughing.' Fox, a recent graduate school grad, decided to celebrate her academic achievements with an excavating adventure through the park's diamond-search area, a 37.5-acre landmark, where over 75,000 stellar stones have been unearthed since the early 1900s. A staggering 366 diamonds have been registered at Crater of Diamonds in 2025 alone, including 11 weighing more than one carat each. Fox did not immediately respond to The Post's request for a comment. But now, she's laughing on easy street. 5 Fox experienced an array of emotions — including tearful shock and laughing excitement — upon finding her diamond on the last day of the hunt. Arkansas State Parks With the national average cost of an engagement ring totaling $5,500, per a recent study, Fox and her groom-to-be, who fully supported her decision to dig for her own diamond, are coming up roses ahead of their big day. Owing to the high price of weddings, which can cost couples across the country more than $26,000 — and the lovebirds near NYC over $58,000 — every penny counts. Rather than blowing their budget on a ritzy rock, Fox was more than eager to take engagement matters into her own hands — quite literally. 'I was willing to go anywhere in the world to make that happen,' she said. 'I researched, and it turned out that the only place in the world to do it was right in our backyard, in Arkansas!' 5 The largest diamond ever discovered in Crater of Diamonds State Park was a 40.23-carat rock, which is now part of the Smithsonian's mineral and gem collection. Shutterstock / VioletSkyAdventures Well, it's not so much 'our backyard' as it is 1,200 miles away from New York — but hey, who's counting? 'There's something symbolic about being able to solve problems with money, but sometimes money runs out in a marriage,' added Fox. 'You need to be willing and able to solve those problems with hard work.' And work, she did. The brunette kicked off her weeks-long search on July 8, spending hours combing through the grounds at Crater of Diamonds for bling. Daily, she'd hit the trail, desperately looking high and low for that glitzy glow, but would routinely come up empty-handed. Fox's luck, however, changed at 11 a.m. on July 29, her final day at the park, when she noticed something shiny by her feet. The nearly-wed initially assumed it was an iridescent, dew-covered spiderweb. 5 Fox initially mistook the stone for a spiderweb until she got a closer look and discovered it was, in fact, a diamond. Arkansas State Parks But after giving it a slight nudge and noticing its gleam, Fox realized she'd scored treasure. Experts at the park's Diamond Discovery Center confirmed that Fox had found a white, or colorless, diamond weighing more than two carats. It's approximately the size of a human canine tooth. The gem — which she's named the Fox-Ballou Diamond — in honor of her and her fiancé, reportedly boasts a smooth, rounded shape and beautiful metallic luster, typical of most Crater diamonds. It is the third-largest diamond found at the park, thus far, this year. Park officials are happy for the soon-to-be married gal. 5 Park authorities confirmed the weight and color of Fox's sweet fine, and congratulated her on the dazzling discovery. Shutterstock / VioletSkyAdventures 'Ms. Fox's story highlights the fact that, even when putting forth your best effort, being in the right place at the right time plays a part in finding diamonds,' said Waymon Cox, Crater of Diamonds State Park Assistant Superintendent, in a statement. 'After weeks of hard work, Ms. Fox found her diamond sitting right on top of the ground.' A satisfies Fox is grateful that her search was successful — and that it's now over. 'After all the research, there's luck and there's hard work,' said the belle, who plans to have the rock set in her engagement ring. 'When you are literally picking up the dirt in your hands, no amount of research can do that for you; no amount of education can take you all the way.' 'It was daunting!'
Miami Herald
2 days ago
- Miami Herald
Adopted dog was ‘dumped over a fence.' Now he needs someone ‘who won't give up'
An adopted dog was 'dumped over a fence' — and now, he needs a fresh start. 'He deserves someone who won't give up on him,' a Florida animal shelter wrote Aug. 7 on Facebook. 'Someone to love him, protect him, and committed to him.' Baby Bear waits for a new home after traveling nearly 1,000 miles. His journey started after he was adopted from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) Florida in 2022, Randa Richter, humane programs and public media director, told McClatchy News via email. Then recently, the Lakeland-based shelter received a call from West Virginia. A facility found Baby Bear and checked his microchip, which stores the contact information of pet owners. 'How he traveled to West Virginia, nobody knows; but what we do know is that he was dumped over a fence at a West Virginia Animal Control,' SPCA Florida wrote in a news release. 'Scared, nervous, and unsure, Baby Bear found himself in a foreign environment, with loud barking dogs, strangers, and different smells.' Shelter workers reached out to Baby Bear's family but didn't hear back. After the 10-year-old mixed breed dog was left behind, SPCA Florida said it didn't want someone to fail him again. 'We knew we had to act fast — because unlike SPCA Florida, that shelter didn't have a no-kill policy,' the animal organization wrote. 'Time was running out.' So, SPCA Florida arranged for a volunteer to fly Baby Bear back to its shelter in Lakeland, a roughly 35-mile drive east from Tampa. He showed off his 'sweet' and well-behaved nature as he got 'first-class service' on the flight, according to the Facebook post and an online adoption profile. 'He stepped off the plane, tail wagging, ears perked, and eyes full of trust,' the shelter wrote. 'He looked as if he finally knew he was home.' As of Aug. 13, the shelter's website still listed the rescued senior pup among the animals available for adoption. Details about the shelter's adoption process can be found at 'Come meet Baby Bear and be the reason his journey ends in joy,' the shelter wrote. 'After all he's been through… this sweet boy deserves nothing less than the best.'
Newsweek
2 days ago
- Newsweek
Hawaii Red Hill Water Contamination Lawsuit Expands
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Federal court filings in Honolulu showed that attorneys representing people who said they were sickened by the November 2021 Red Hill jet fuel spill had added more than 6,000 additional plaintiffs to a consolidated lawsuit against the United States, the amended complaint stated. The expansion came after years of litigation and research into health effects tied to the U.S. Navy fuel release that contaminated drinking water systems serving homes on and near Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam. The amended complaint cited recent studies and sought to press the government toward settlement for thousands of additional claimants. Why It Matters The Red Hill facility sits above an aquifer that supplies water to large parts of the Hawaiian island of Oahu. The November 20, 2021, release of jet fuel into the Navy water system affected residents in military housing and raised broader concerns about the island's drinking water security. Stock image of a scientist testing water for contamination. Stock image of a scientist testing water for contamination. Getty Images What To Know The amended complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Honolulu added more than 6,000 plaintiffs and said the two lead law firms now represent roughly 7,000 claimants who alleged injury from fuel-tainted tap water. Separately, previously filed consolidated litigation listed 17 "bellwether" plaintiffs who went to trial and were viewed as representatives for thousands of pending claims; the Associated Press reported in April 2024 that those plaintiffs represented "a cross-selection of relatives of military members representing more than 7,500 others, including service members." The U.S. government filed court documents that admitted the November 20, 2021, spill at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility "caused a nuisance," the AP reported, and breached a duty of care, though it disputed that exposure levels were high enough to cause the specific long-term health effects alleged by plaintiffs. The awards in Feindt v. United States list each bellwether plaintiff's damages. The court awarded general damages (pain/suffering), plus $1,000 hedonic damages to each plaintiff, and limited special damages (future medical expenses for four plaintiffs; a small economic loss for one): General damages (each): Aubart $37,500; Dietz $37,500; B.D. $37,500; V.D. $25,000; Feindt $37,500; P.G.F. $10,000; T.F. $5,000; Freeman $75,000; D.F. $10,000; K.F. $50,000; N.F. $50,000; Jessup $37,500; B.B.J. $75,000; B.J.J. $75,000; D.J. $5,000; N.J. $10,000; Witt $37,500. (Plus $1,000 hedonic damages to each plaintiff.) Special damages (future medical): Dietz $7,322.71; P.G.F. $4,953.36; Freeman $28,876.01; Jessup $6,962.41. Special damages (economic): Feindt $2,144. The amended complaint also cited recent health studies that plaintiffs said strengthened their claims, including a Defense Department study that reported a higher incidence of new migraines and esophageal inflammation among those exposed and a University of Hawaii survey that found roughly 80 percent of affected residents reported new or worsened symptoms after the spill. What People Are Saying Kristina Baehr, an attorney with Just Well Law, in a news release: "These families prevailed against all odds against the Government in court, and they helped prove to the world what truly happened when the Navy poisoned the water supply near Pearl Harbor and sickened so many." Richelle Dietz, a mother of two and wife of a Naval officer, told the Associated Press: "I hope that one day I can not think about water all the time. But right now it's a constant." What Happens Next The plaintiffs' legal teams said they were negotiating with government attorneys about a potential settlement for the larger pool of claimants using the bellwether awards as a baseline. If lawyers for the plaintiffs and the government did not reach a settlement, additional phases of litigation and further bellwether trials would likely determine the scope of recoverable damages for the remaining claimants, legal experts said in prior coverage of the consolidated cases. The Red Hill site remained in the process of defueling, and a long-term closure plan was underway; local officials and water authorities have continued efforts to protect Oahu's aquifer and municipal supplies from further contamination, HawaiiNewsNow reported.
