Darleen Greenert, Rickover’s sponsor, Navy veteran, and spouse of former Chief of Naval Operations Jonathan Greenert, highlighted the sacrifice of army households throughout her remarks and remembered the late Eleonore Rickover, the namesake admiral’s spouse and sponsor of SSN 709.
“How fortunate am I be to be standing by these fantastic, wonderful submariners,” Greenert stated to the viewers earlier than making one request. “Take my submarine sailors in your hearts and preserve them in your prayers – nevertheless you pray – and assist them be robust as a result of we all know they’re courageous.”
The ceremony culminated a years-long course of for commissioning the USS Rickover, the second submarine to commemorate Adm. Hyman G. Rickover – also known as the daddy of the nuclear Navy. The primary Hyman G. Rickover (SSN 709), commissioned in Groton on July 21, 1984, and deployed 12 occasions till its decommissioning in December 2007.
Greenert gave the crew the normal order to “man our ship and convey her to life,” after which Rickover’s sailors responded “aye aye ma’am” earlier than ceremonially working aboard the submarine.
Rickover’s commanding officer Cmdr. Matthew Seaside referred to as the occasion a “momentous event” throughout his speech.
“The commissioning of [this] ship is devoted to a frontrunner who reshaped our sea service by way of an unrelenting 63 years of service,” Seaside stated of Adm. Rickover’s legacy. “In entrance of you immediately on board this ship, the proud sailors of the following era – Hyman G. Rickover – stand able to proceed this legacy of excellence guiding our ship into hurt’s manner and defending the values that we maintain expensive.”
Different audio system on the commissioning ceremony included Kevin Graney, president of Common Dynamics Corp.’s Electrical Boat shipyard, in addition to U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal and U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney of Connecticut. The grasp of ceremonies was Lt. Cmdr. Collin Hedges, govt officer of the USS Rickover.
Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro praised the crew and the shipbuilders throughout his speech calling the commissioning a “true milestone for our fleet.”
“It’s nice to be right here in Groton, identified to many because the submarine capital of the world, as we have a good time the return of Rickover into service,” Del Toro stated. “The crew of Hyman G. Rickover and our business companions have labored tirelessly over the previous a number of years to carry our nation’s latest submarine to life and we wouldn’t be right here immediately with out them.”
Capt. Jason Grizzle, commodore of Rickover’s dad or mum Submarine Squadron (SUBRON) FOUR, likened the success of the crew to the “arduous work and dedication that instantly mirror the teachings of the boat’s namesake.”
“Within the phrases of Adm. Rickover, ‘when doing a job — any job — one should really feel that he owns it, and act as if he’ll stay in that job endlessly,’” Grizzle stated. “Matt and his crew actually embody the ingenuity and attention-to-detail which has been instilled in each submariner from day one – and I feel each submarine veteran can really feel this boat and this pressure is, and stays to be, theirs.”
Rickover’s youngest plankowner – an honorific given to commissioning crewmembers – Seaman Mark Dean referred to as the commissioning occasion an “unreal expertise” solely being on board for a short while.
“It’s only a cool expertise that not many individuals are in a position to expertise,” Dean stated. “At the moment, my submarine is being put into the fleet.”
Adm. Frank Caldwell, director of the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, highlighted Adm. Rickover’s “enduring influence” on the Submarine Pressure as “we have a good time 75 years of the nuclear propulsion program.”
“Admiral Rickover challenged what’s potential starting with our first nuclear powered submarine – USS Nautilus,” Caldwell stated throughout his remarks. “In doing so, he modified our submarine pressure, he modified the character of naval warfare, and he modified U.S. business and shipbuilding endlessly.”
USS Rickover is 377 ft lengthy, has a 34-foot beam and is ready to dive to depths higher than 800 ft and function at speeds in extra of 25 knots. Rickover has a crew of practically 135 Navy personnel.
Quick-attack submarines are multi-mission platforms enabling 5 of the six Navy maritime technique core capabilities – sea management, energy projection, ahead presence, maritime safety and deterrence. They’re designed to excel in anti-submarine warfare, anti-ship warfare, strike warfare, particular operations, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, irregular warfare and mine warfare. Quick-attack submarines challenge energy ashore with particular operations forces and Tomahawk cruise missiles within the prevention or preparation of regional crises.
