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USS Nebraska Departs Kings Bay for West Coast

Navy Newsstand

Story Number: NNS040816-20 Release Date: 8/16/2004 9:04:00 PM

By Journalist 1st Class Jennifer Spinner, Submarine Group 10 Public Affairs

KINGS BAY, Ga. (NNS) -- Kings Bay bid a bittersweet farewell to a member of the family Aug. 12, when USS Nebraska (SSBN 739) departed for her new home in Bangor, Wash.

Members of the boat's "Gold" crew will travel nearly 3,000 miles during the transit, which will take them more than two months.

Blue crew commanding officer Cmdr. Lee Olson said that though the move is historic, it is not much different from a routine change of station for most Sailors.

"Moving every couple of years is part of the Navy life," said Olson. "Moving the ship is certainly more work and coordination, but the crew has taken it all in stride. We will certainly miss Kings Bay, but the Navy needs us in Bangor."

Olson said 165 crew members and families from the Blue crew departed for the cross-country drive a week earlier to establish operations and prepare for Nebraska's arrival in Bangor in a few months.

Ensuring a safe transit for the boat was priority one for Gold crew commanding officer Cmdr. Chris Haugen.

"We did a lot of training on navigation and plotting," said Haugen. "That is one aspect of this trip that is much different than what we are used to. The crew has invested a lot of time studying charts so we make it safely to Bangor."

The crew will face the additional challenge of operating in colder water (sound travels differently in colder water), along with increased industrial and commercial water traffic near Bangor. Despite these challenges, Haugen is confident the crew will rise to the challenge.

"It's what we do," he said.

The local business community celebrated the contributions of Nebraska Sailors and families to Camden County Aug. 5 with a special farewell barbecue at the base pool. Members of the Camden County/Kings Bay Area Chamber of Commerce were joined by local officials, including Kingsland Mayor Kenneth Smith, in praising the Sailors and their families for their contributions to the community during their decade-long stay in Kings Bay, which included volunteer work, highway clean-ups and simply being good neighbors.

"We're sad to see them go," said Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Carla Carper. "They leave behind big shoes to fill."

Nebraska is the third Trident submarine in as many years to leave Kings Bay for the Pacific Fleet. The move is part of the Navy's goal of balancing the Atlantic and Pacific Trident fleets at seven boats each.

The Navy will decommission its four oldest Ohio-class submarines, USS Ohio (SSBN 726), USS Florida (SSBN 728), USS Michigan (SSBN 727) and USS Georgia (SSBN 729) during the next several years, and then overhaul and convert them from fleet ballistic missile submarines (SSBN) to guided-missile submarines (SSGN).

Future homeports for the SSGN submarines have not been determined.