Reno Council, Nevada Governor
Honor State’s Namesake Submarine
By PETER ATKINSON, Deputy Editor
Agroup of 20 members of the Reno, Nev., Council joined
Gov. Brian Sandoval for a tour of
the Trident submarine training
facility at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor
in Bangor, Wash., and a banquet
honoring the crews of the council’s
adopted Ohio-class ballistic-missile
sub USS Nevada July 18-19. The
event was hosted by the command
of Submarine Group 9.
Council President Kai Wallis said
the council has had a long and close
relationship with the crews of Nevada
since the boat was commissioned in
1986, and has had many activities
with them in Reno and Bangor. But
he noted that it was a rare opportunity for the governor to visit the state’s
namesake vessel and its crew. Nevada
had just completed its first strategic
deterrent patrol after three years of
refueling and recertification.
“I heard that no Nevada governor
had ever visited, and it was important
to me to show respect for the boat
and her crew and pay respects from
the people of Nevada,” Sandoval said
in a Navy News Service report on the
visit. “We are very proud of our
namesake’s storied past.”
On July 18, the council hosted a
banquet for the sub’s Blue and Gold
crews. The ceremony began on a
high note when 11-year-old Brady
Collins led attendees in the “Pledge
of Allegiance,” Wallis said. Speakers
at the banquet were Rear Adm. Bob
Hennegan, commander, Submarine
Group 9; Cmdr. Alan Schrader,
commander, Nevada Blue crew;
Cmdr. Pete Hudson, commander,
Nevada Gold crew; and Sandoval.
The governor gave the crews
autographed photos of himself
standing at his desk with the ship’s
BYRON FALK
Members of the Reno, Nev., Council, Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval and crew
members of the Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarine USS Nevada stand outside
the boat during a July 19 tour at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor in Bangor, Wash.
wheel of the former USS Nevada, a
Nevada-class battleship, adorning
the wall of his office. He also gave
them a specially struck challenge
coin to commemorate the event. On
behalf of their crews, the commanding officers gave the governor and
the Reno Council signed photos of
the boat in several meaningful phases of its post-refueling life.
The council presented Blue and
Gold Sailor of the Quarter awards.
Chuck Harton, council board
member and former president, presented a Nevada-shaped barbed
wire display thanking the many
chiefs of the boat for their critical
role in keeping the relationship
between the Navy League and
Nevada so close over the years.
Pat Wallis, a Nevada oil painter
and council member, gave the crew
an oil painting of Lamoille Canyon,
a Nevada landmark, on behalf of
the council. The painting now is
displayed in the crew’s mess.
BYRON FALK
Cmdr. Pete Hudson, commanding
officer, USS Nevada Gold crew,
explains the workings of the subma-
rine’s command center to Nevada
Gov. Brian Sandoval.
The tour of the Trident Training
Facility on July 19 was a distinct
highlight, Wallis said. Led by
Schrader, the tour began with a presentation about the Trident II D5 missile. The training facility was most
impressive to those who had never
thought about how the time in port
is used, Wallis said.
The final event was the visit to the
submarine. The governor and coun-
