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| USS North Carolina (Wiki) |
By Lt. Lara Bollinger, Submarine Group 7 Public Affairs
SUBIC BAY, Republic of the Philippines (NNS) -- The Virginia-class fast attack submarine USS North Carolina (SSN 777) arrived at Subic Bay May 13, as part of its Western Pacific deployment.
With a crew of 133, North Carolina has conducted a series of missions showcasing the latest capabilities of the submarine force.
"The crew is proud of our recent contributions as part of our country's commitment to maintaining freedom of navigation, peace and stability in the region," said Cmdr. Richard Rhinehart, North Carolina's commanding officer.
North Carolina is the fourth submarine in the Virginia class, the Navy's newest class of submarine and the first ship designed for the post Cold War environment. She is designed to operate with stealth, agility and endurance in the world's littoral regions, as well as the deep oceans. During this maiden deployment, her crew provided the value of the ship and their training by completing a wide variety of missions assigned by their operational commander.
"Everyone is looking forward to some good liberty, rest and relaxation during our port visit here in Subic Bay," said chief of the boat, Master Chief Jon Consford. "The crew has worked hard and developed tremendously as a team over the last five and a half months. I could not be prouder to have had the chance to serve with some of the finest Sailors our nation has sent to sea."
Machinist's Mate 2nd Class (Submarine Service) Allan Pruter said he is excited to visit the country that his family is from.
"My family is from the Philippines and I'm the only one who's never been there," Pruter said. "I'm very excited to have this opportunity to visit, especially after working so hard during this deployment."
Measuring more than 350 feet long and weighing more than 7,800 tons when submerged, North Carolina is one of the stealthiest, most technologically advanced submarines in the world. It brings to the region the capability to conduct the full spectrum of potential submarine missions including anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface ship warfare, strike, naval special warfare involving special operations forces, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, and mine warfare.
North Carolina is homeported in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii and was commissioned in 2008.