Aloha,
Things continue to be busy on USS HAWAII as we continue our transit. Submarines are multi-mission platforms and staying proficient in several different mission areas requires a constant effort. In addition to all of the training that we do to keep the crew sharp, our Navigator has taken on the additional job of "Cruise Director". As we sail through the various seas in route to Hawaii he is responsible for developing some activities to help the crew enjoy their limited free time. A favorite game is cribbage. I have heard that only fireman and submariners play cribbage. Winning the cribbage tournament onboard is about as big as it gets.
We had some extended time on the surface the past few days including the opportunity to work on our man overboard ship driving skills. The Junior Officers had a competition to see who could recover the "man overboard" the fastest. One of my junior officers posted the best time at just under four minutes. I am glad they didn't make me try to beat that time.
One of the things many of us do to pass the free time is exercise. As you can imagine workout facilities are limited on a submarine. We have three exercise bikes, a set of perfect pushups, some rubber exercise bands, and one set of dumbbells. That is not much equipment for 130 people. To help us manage our weight, the culinary specialist onboard provide a "healthy choice" option for each meal, usually a fish or baked chicken. We are all looking forward to arriving in Hawaii so we can enjoy the local scenery while we work out instead of staring at MK48 torpedoes.
The crew's excitement builds each day as we continue our journey to paradise.
Sincerely,
CDR Ed Herrington
Commanding Officer
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
USS Hawaii makes final preparations for their transit home
Aloha,
USS HAWAII is in Kings Bay Georgia making final preparations for our transit to Hawaii. We completed our weapons systems evaluations with flying colors and have loaded our torpedoes and final food stores in preparation for the transit.
One of the nice things about the submarine force is that when a submarine visits a port, one of the local submarine crews volunteers to serve as the host. In our case, USS WYOMING GOLD is our host. They were kind enough to have the crew over for a party and have challenged us to a golf match. Everyone enjoys the opportunity to swap sea stories and see how the other half lives.
We have been talking regularly with our new submarine squadron staff about the plans for our arrival. The ceremony looks to be a festive event. I hope it will set the tone for the relationship that we desire to maintain with the local community over the next thirty years. Most of our families have left Groton, CT and are now arriving in Hawaii. Moving can be quite stressful for families, especially ones with small children. We have worked hard over the past year to make the transition for each family as smooth as possible. The families have been sharing stories about how welcome they have felt and of course how wonderful the weather and scenery has been. Having our families waiting on the pier for us when we arrive will make the homecoming that much more special.
CDR Ed Herrington
Commanding Officer, USS Hawaii SSN 776
USS HAWAII is in Kings Bay Georgia making final preparations for our transit to Hawaii. We completed our weapons systems evaluations with flying colors and have loaded our torpedoes and final food stores in preparation for the transit.
One of the nice things about the submarine force is that when a submarine visits a port, one of the local submarine crews volunteers to serve as the host. In our case, USS WYOMING GOLD is our host. They were kind enough to have the crew over for a party and have challenged us to a golf match. Everyone enjoys the opportunity to swap sea stories and see how the other half lives.
We have been talking regularly with our new submarine squadron staff about the plans for our arrival. The ceremony looks to be a festive event. I hope it will set the tone for the relationship that we desire to maintain with the local community over the next thirty years. Most of our families have left Groton, CT and are now arriving in Hawaii. Moving can be quite stressful for families, especially ones with small children. We have worked hard over the past year to make the transition for each family as smooth as possible. The families have been sharing stories about how welcome they have felt and of course how wonderful the weather and scenery has been. Having our families waiting on the pier for us when we arrive will make the homecoming that much more special.
CDR Ed Herrington
Commanding Officer, USS Hawaii SSN 776
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Elements of a new class
Aloha,
HAWAII is at sea again and enjoying doing the work that submariners do. We had another swim call today during a break in the work. Great weather and this time we didn't see the shark until after we were all out of the water. I am beginning to think that USS HAWAII has a shark that follows us around. I have done three swim calls and seen a shark each time. The crew is tough though, and a little shark never stopped us from getting in the water.
The crew is busy testing our various weapons systems and spends most of the day practicing one of the various mission areas submarines specialize in. One of the challenges of being on a submarine is we don't just do one thing. Submarines, especially the new VIRGINIA Class submarines, are designed to conduct anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, naval special warfare, intelligence collection, mine warfare, etc. All of those missions require the crew to dedicate hours each day at sea and in port training and conducting simulated missions to ensure we are ready when it is time deploy. HAWAII has several features unique to this class of ship which make us very effective at conducting each of the mission areas. I will discuss some of our more interesting features in a later blog.
My nuclear trained watchstanders are counting down the days to our arrival in Hawaii as only nuclear trained watchstanders would. Each day they write down on a white board the element of the periodic table that corresponds to the days we have left. A very unique group of sailors!
CDR Ed Herrington
Commanding Officer, USS HAWAII SSN 776
HAWAII is at sea again and enjoying doing the work that submariners do. We had another swim call today during a break in the work. Great weather and this time we didn't see the shark until after we were all out of the water. I am beginning to think that USS HAWAII has a shark that follows us around. I have done three swim calls and seen a shark each time. The crew is tough though, and a little shark never stopped us from getting in the water.
The crew is busy testing our various weapons systems and spends most of the day practicing one of the various mission areas submarines specialize in. One of the challenges of being on a submarine is we don't just do one thing. Submarines, especially the new VIRGINIA Class submarines, are designed to conduct anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, naval special warfare, intelligence collection, mine warfare, etc. All of those missions require the crew to dedicate hours each day at sea and in port training and conducting simulated missions to ensure we are ready when it is time deploy. HAWAII has several features unique to this class of ship which make us very effective at conducting each of the mission areas. I will discuss some of our more interesting features in a later blog.
My nuclear trained watchstanders are counting down the days to our arrival in Hawaii as only nuclear trained watchstanders would. Each day they write down on a white board the element of the periodic table that corresponds to the days we have left. A very unique group of sailors!
CDR Ed Herrington
Commanding Officer, USS HAWAII SSN 776
Thursday, June 4, 2009
USS Hawaii crew enjoys Cocoa Beach, Florida
Aloha,
The crew of HAWAII has enjoyed our time in Cocoa Beach Florida. In addition to the work that we conducted while we were here, we had the opportunity to host a significant number of military, community leaders, and a group of 25 Naval Cadets for tours onboard. We also had the pleasure of hosting several groups of astronauts and engineers working on the replacement for the space shuttle. They were very interested in some of the systems we use onboard for atmosphere control and how they might be applied for use in space. The crew takes great pride in showing off the boat to our many guests. The astronauts were generous enough afterwards to offer the crew a behind the scenes tour of NASA. Many of my sailors remarked that work on the space shuttle reminded them of the work done on submarines at Electric Boat in Groton.
Members of the Navy League also invited both the wardrooms of TEXAS and HAWAII out for a night at one of the member's homes and hosted a party for the crew. Everyone appreciated the support and generosity demonstrated by the local community. Several of the Chief Petty Officers and I were also able to get away for a little golf. Something I look forward to doing more often once we get to Hawaii. The sailors that have served in Hawaii rave about how nice all of the golf courses are.
Things continue to go smooth on the boat and the anticipation continues to build. I have the weather in HAWAII saved on my iphone and check it frequently to remind myself of how nice it is going to be once we arrive home.
CDR Ed Herrington
Commanding Officer, USS HAWAII SSN 776
The crew of HAWAII has enjoyed our time in Cocoa Beach Florida. In addition to the work that we conducted while we were here, we had the opportunity to host a significant number of military, community leaders, and a group of 25 Naval Cadets for tours onboard. We also had the pleasure of hosting several groups of astronauts and engineers working on the replacement for the space shuttle. They were very interested in some of the systems we use onboard for atmosphere control and how they might be applied for use in space. The crew takes great pride in showing off the boat to our many guests. The astronauts were generous enough afterwards to offer the crew a behind the scenes tour of NASA. Many of my sailors remarked that work on the space shuttle reminded them of the work done on submarines at Electric Boat in Groton.
Members of the Navy League also invited both the wardrooms of TEXAS and HAWAII out for a night at one of the member's homes and hosted a party for the crew. Everyone appreciated the support and generosity demonstrated by the local community. Several of the Chief Petty Officers and I were also able to get away for a little golf. Something I look forward to doing more often once we get to Hawaii. The sailors that have served in Hawaii rave about how nice all of the golf courses are.
Things continue to go smooth on the boat and the anticipation continues to build. I have the weather in HAWAII saved on my iphone and check it frequently to remind myself of how nice it is going to be once we arrive home.
CDR Ed Herrington
Commanding Officer, USS HAWAII SSN 776
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Counting the days until Hawaii arrival
Aloha,
We arrived back in Florida yesterday. We had some extra free time prior to mooring so we conducted a swim call with the crew. Everyone had a great time until a shark showed up. The crew got out of the water, a little slow for my taste, but everyone including the shark seemed to enjoy the swim. It was quite an interesting drive in to the port. In a one hour period I saw dolphins, sharks, small manta rays and a few sea turtles.
Every night underway the crew watches a movie together. During the week two of the movies had scenes filmed in Hawaii. Everyone was really excited about the scenes and how breathtaking everything is.
Over the next few weeks we will be working hard on our tactics and techniques for several different mission areas including anti-submarine warfare, missile strike, and mine field penetration.
The crew and I are counting the days to our arrival.
CDR Ed Herrington
Commanding Officer, USS HAWAII SSN 776
We arrived back in Florida yesterday. We had some extra free time prior to mooring so we conducted a swim call with the crew. Everyone had a great time until a shark showed up. The crew got out of the water, a little slow for my taste, but everyone including the shark seemed to enjoy the swim. It was quite an interesting drive in to the port. In a one hour period I saw dolphins, sharks, small manta rays and a few sea turtles.
Every night underway the crew watches a movie together. During the week two of the movies had scenes filmed in Hawaii. Everyone was really excited about the scenes and how breathtaking everything is.
Over the next few weeks we will be working hard on our tactics and techniques for several different mission areas including anti-submarine warfare, missile strike, and mine field penetration.
The crew and I are counting the days to our arrival.
CDR Ed Herrington
Commanding Officer, USS HAWAII SSN 776
Friday, May 22, 2009
Excitement among the crew of USS Hawaii
Aloha,
Excitement stirs among the crew as HAWAII makes her journey to her new homeport. Several crew members previously stationed in Pearl Harbor are stimulating the crew about the wonderful life in Hawaii. The stories of the panoramic views from wherever you are on the island are beyond belief. The stories are including that ALOHA is not just a greeting or salutation but a way of life.
CMDCS(SS) Robert R. Crossno, Jr.
Chief of the Boat, USS Hawaii SSN 776
Excitement stirs among the crew as HAWAII makes her journey to her new homeport. Several crew members previously stationed in Pearl Harbor are stimulating the crew about the wonderful life in Hawaii. The stories of the panoramic views from wherever you are on the island are beyond belief. The stories are including that ALOHA is not just a greeting or salutation but a way of life.
CMDCS(SS) Robert R. Crossno, Jr.
Chief of the Boat, USS Hawaii SSN 776
USS Hawaii departs Groton
Aloha,
HAWAII has finally said goodbye to the cold Groton weather only to find rain in Florida during our brief stop there. We are in the process of conducting technical evaluations of some of our systems over the coming weeks and working on tour tactical proficiency in preparation for our next deployment. Though we have left many friends in Groton behind, we look forward to meeting our new Hawaiian ohana soon. Many of our families are already starting to arrive in Hawaii and their reports are helping to build the excitement of the crew.
CDR Ed Herrington
Commanding Officer, USS HAWAII SSN 776
HAWAII has finally said goodbye to the cold Groton weather only to find rain in Florida during our brief stop there. We are in the process of conducting technical evaluations of some of our systems over the coming weeks and working on tour tactical proficiency in preparation for our next deployment. Though we have left many friends in Groton behind, we look forward to meeting our new Hawaiian ohana soon. Many of our families are already starting to arrive in Hawaii and their reports are helping to build the excitement of the crew.
CDR Ed Herrington
Commanding Officer, USS HAWAII SSN 776
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