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USS Columbia Returns From Western Pacific Deployment

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS060321-07
Release Date: 3/21/2006 4:25:00 PM

By Chief Journalist (SW/AW) David Rush, Commander, Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet Public Affairs

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (NNS) -- The nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Columbia (SSN 771) returned to its homeport of Pearl Harbor March 17, following a six-month deployment to the Western Pacific.

Columbia departed Pearl Harbor Sept. 17. During the deployment, the ship’s crew visited Stirling, Australia; Yokosuka, Japan; Chinhae, Republic of Korea; Singapore and Guam.

Cmdr. Gene Sievers, Columbia’s commanding officer, said the crew worked tirelessly to get their tasks accomplished. “The deployment went fantastic," he said. "The guys performed well throughout. They did everything they were asked to do and carried out every mission on time.”

Sievers added that although they enjoyed many port visits, he is glad he and his crew are back in Hawaii. “We made lots of friends in a lot of different countries, but we’re glad to be home.”

According to Machinist's Mate 1st Class Zion Hallenbeck, a native of Grand Junction, Colorado, the deployment went well. “It went very smooth. It was a lot of work, but also a lot of fun.”

Hallenbeck's wife said that although this was her husband’s first deployment, support at home made it easier to deal with the separation. “This was our first deployment ever, so it was kind of a shock for our girls, but we had so much support from the USS Columbia wife’s club that it was a breeze. I felt very secure.”

Commissioned Oct. 9, 1995, Columbia is the 60th submarine of the Los Angeles class and is the 33rd ship of that class built by General Dynamics Electric Boat Division. It is the seventh ship of the Navy that honors the capital of South Carolina, and cities in Missouri and Illinois.

The submarine has a crew of 18 officers and 118 enlisted men. It displaces more than 6,900 tons, is 360 feet long, and can reach speeds in excess of 25 knots and attain depths of more than 800 feet.