U.S. Navy's first Tomahawk shooter of Operation Iraqi Freedom returns to Pearl Harbor
COMSUBPAC Press Release
By JOC(SW/AW) David Rush
PEARL HARBOR ---- Los Angeles class attack submarine USS Cheyenne (SSN 773), the Navy's first ship to launch a Tomahawk cruise missile in Operation Iraqi Freedom, returned from nearly nine months at sea on April 24.
As part of the USS Abraham Lincoln Strike Group, the submarine was an integral part of destroying Iraqi defense and communication abilities. Following the initial strikes, air and ground forces were mobilized to take towns and cities throughout Iraq, culminating in coalition forces taking the capital city of Baghdad.
In an address at the Navy League Sea-Air Space exposition April 17, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Vern Clark said that the Navy's role was key to the coalition's success in Operation Iraqi Freedom. "When I think about time-sensitive strike, I think about the joint-decapitation strike [on Baghdad]. I remember when the Tomahawk was a system where planning a target would take days to weeks. But on this occasion, from the time we got the target, which came back via satellite to the United States for planning and got back to the ships via satellite, into the system, and a missile went out of the tube, it took just over a couple of hours," said Clark.
"That's what speed is about. I am so pleased with the way the Navy-Marine Corps team has responded to the challenge," Clark added.
As the Navy's highest-ranking enlisted Sailor, and a submariner as well, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON) Terry Scott, welcomed the submariners of USS Cheyenne. Scott serves as the senior enlisted advisor to the Chief of Naval Operations.
"When you consider what our Sailors have done, and looking at the length of the deployment they made, it is a testament to a lot of the work we have done to make sure that our Sailors are ready, that they are trained and have the right equipment and that their families are ready," said Scott.
"This isn't your normal circumstance and this isn't normal operations. They met and exceeded every expectation. They were integral to the overall operation. To be able to respond as they did.they're just great American heroes. We couldn't have done it without them. Those in Navy leadership know what submarines bring to the fight. All this did was demonstrate it to everyone else. That's who we are and that's what we do," Scott said.
As for the Navy's overall purpose, Scott referred to a statement made by the CNO as to why Sailors are stationed on ships and submarines in the first place. "The CNO said the Continental Congress didn't create a Navy 226 years ago just so we could look good out on the horizon. They created the Navy so we could take the fight to the enemy and win - and that's what these guys did."
According to Cmdr. Charles Doty, USS Cheyenne's commanding officer, the crew responded when they were called upon to go to war. "USS Cheyenne actually launched the first Tomahawk for Operation Iraqi Freedom. At the time we had no idea it would be the first one. We just knew we had to execute our mission and the crew responded superbly and we were able to carry out the orders and launch our weapons as tasked on time," said Doty.
"When we launched the first missile I didn't know it was the first missile until about four days later. It was like 'Wow, we're being tasked to shoot it now and we have to do it now. There's no second chance. This better work.' The crew responded like they were trained to respond. There were a lot of U.S. forces involved and I'm glad to know USS Cheyenne was able to support the coalition effort in Iraq and help liberate the Iraqi people," Doty said.
Doty has been on numerous deployments and training missions, but until recently, he had not launched a weapon at targets. "I had never launched the Tomahawks before, so what was going through my mind was hoping the systems worked the way they're supposed to. Sure enough, they did. It happened so fast that we had very little time to think about it. We just had to do what we were trained to do to make sure it happens," Doty concluded.
Families and friends were on the pier anxiously awaiting the return of their loved ones. Ens. Kerri Chase, an officer stationed aboard USS Russell, she has waited patiently for her husband to come home, but knows that he was doing an important job.
"I couldn't be more proud of him. This is what we practice for and they actually go to do it. I am so proud and amazed.
Will and Pamela Lynn, the parents of Fire Control Technician 2nd Class Ryan Lynn, flew out from Marietta, Cal. to be with their son and were aboard the passenger boat riding out to the Pearl Harbor channel to be the first ones to greet the submarine.
"We came out here to support Ryan. We are a very patriotic family, I served in the Air Force and her grandfather was in the Navy and served during World War II. They [USS Cheyenne's crew] were in a war. It was a peacetime Navy, but now it's not. We are very supportive not only of Ryan but also the boat and the United States Navy," said Will Lynn.
Pamela Lynn was happy to have her son come home, but felt good knowing her son was safe aboard the submarine. "I knew he was in good hands and I know he had excellent training, and with Cmdr. Doty in charge of USS Cheyenne, it's a good team. We are very proud of him," said Pamela Lynn.
Homeported in Pearl Harbor, USS Cheyenne left for deployment from Hawaii on July 31, 2002. USS Cheyenne was in the Arabian Gulf when coalition forces began the initial strike against various targets in Iraq and launched the first Tomahawk cruise missile on Iraq March 18.
USS Cheyenne is also the first Pacific Fleet warship to return home following Operation Iraqi Freedom.
As an attack submarine, USS Cheyenne combines stealth, endurance and mobility giving it multi-mission capability by providing early strike capability from close proximity while maintaining undersea superiority.
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