The officers and crew of the Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Albuquerque were
greeted with a warm Western
Washington welcome Oct. 30 by
the Bremerton-Olympic Peninsula,
Wash., Council at the Samuel
Adams Brewhouse & Restaurant
on Naval Base Kitsap-Bremerton.
The 32-year-old Los Angeles-class
submarine recently arrived at Puget
Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PSNS
& IMF) for defueling and decommissioning, according to a report from
Kevin Torcolini, the council’s public
affairs vice president.
The reception was sponsored by
the local council, and hosted by the
Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine USS Nebraska, which also is at
PSNS & IMF undergoing a refueling
overhaul. Along with CDR Jason
Geddes, Nebraska’s commanding officer, the Navy League’s Northwest
Coastal Area President Alan Beam
welcomed Albuquerque officers and
crew, led by Commanding Officer
CDR Don Tenney, Executive Officer
LCDR Chris Brown and Chief of the
Boat FTCS(SS/DV) Brian Doyle.
Beam also thanked other special
guests for attending, including
CAPT Ben Pearson, deputy commander, Submarine Squadron 19.
During the ship’s life, Albuquerque
deployed 19 times, visited more
than 20 countries and steamed more
than 500,000 miles.
Albuquerque was launched on
March 13, 1982, and commissioned
on May 21, 1983. Prior to departure
from Albuquerque’s former homeport
of San Diego, an inactivation ceremony was held to honor the boat’s
32 years of service on Aug. 28.
At the Bremerton reception,
Geddes presented Tenny with a
large framed illustration of a submerged Trident submarine firing a
ballistic missile, joking that Tenny
should display it in a prominent
place on the crew’s new living barge
to help recruit some of Albuquerque’s
departing attack submarine Sailors
to Nebraska’s crew as the SSBN prepares to depart the shipyard.
On Oct. 13, the Bremerton-Olympic Peninsula Council hosted a
jam-packed luncheon at the Bangor
Plaza on Naval Station Kitsap-Bangor to honor three Strategic
Weapons Facility Pacific (SWFPAC)
Sailors of the Quarter (SOQs).
The luncheon focused on celebra-
ting the U.S. Navy’s 240th Birthday
and included guest speaker RDML
Dave Kriete, commander, Submarine
Group Nine, as well as Navy Birthday
remarks by Sixth Congressional
District Rep. Derek Kilmer, D-Wash.
Each awardee was presented a
soaring eagle statuette engraved
with their name by Council President Tim Katona. CAPT Michael
Baretela, SWFPAC commanding
officer, and SWFPAC Command
Master Chief Jared Hofer also were
present to honor their stand-out
Sailors for their hard work and individual efforts.
In addition to highlighting the importance of the U.S. Navy on its
240th birthday, Kilmer spoke about
being back in his home state.
“It’s a pleasure to be here; in fact
it’s a pleasure to be anywhere other
than Washington, D.C., these days.
Anyone interested in being Speaker
of the House? This is so cool; I’ve
never been to a 240th birthday
party before,” he said.
Bremerton Honors Albuquerque,
Strategic Weapons Facility Sailors
By PETER ATKINSON, Deputy Editor
WWW.SEAPOWERMAGAZINE.ORG 56 SEAPOWER / DECEMBER 2015
From the left, Strategic Weapons Facility Pacific (SWFPAC) Command Master
Chief Jared Hofer; Missile Technician 1st Class (Submarines) Matthew Mussett;
SWFPAC Commanding Officer, CAPT Michael Baretela; Missile Technician 1st
Class (Submarines) Kenneth Louk; and Missile Technician 1st Class (Submarines)
Brent Cunningham stand with Bremerton-Olympic Peninsula Council President
Tim Katona during an Oct. 13 luncheon that honored Mussett, Louk and
Cunningham as Sailors of the Quarter.
