NAVY LEAGUE NEWS / COUNCIL DIGEST
Apacked reception hosted by Bremerton, Wash., Mayor
Patty Lent capped a six-day visit by
the fleet’s oldest active submarine to
its namesake city on March 3.
“It’s always a pleasure to visit a
port in which support from the community is outstanding. But here, it’s
simply overwhelming! This city is
like a second homeport for us,” CDR
Wes Bringham, commanding officer
of the Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Bremerton, which is
homeported in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
But, as Bringham stressed, “We
don’t refer to our ship as old —
‘old’ is an excuse; rather our ship is
an ‘American classic!’”
Spearheaded by Council Board
Member Dr. Byron Faber, the sub-
marine was adopted in January 2011
by the city of Bremerton and a part-
nership of organizations across the
community led by the Bremerton-
Olympic Peninsula Council. With
help from donations, the council
supports the crew’s holiday parties;
sends gifts like DVDs, books and gift
cards to break up deployments; and
sponsors goodwill visits for crew
members back to the Seattle area.
USS Bremerton, nicknamed the
“Bad Fish,” is the 11th submarine
of the Los Angeles class. The boat
was commissioned March 28, 1981,
with CAPT Thomas Anderson in
command.
Brigham noted that 89 percent of
the crew was born after the ship was
commissioned. He is the ship’s 14th
commanding officer (CO). Local
notables who have commanded
Bremerton in the past include Area
President and Council Board
Member Alan Beam, a retired cap-
tain who was the third CO; Council
member and retired CAPT Jerry
Logan, the 10th CO; and his replace-
ment, CAPT Thomas Zwolfer, cur-
rent commander of Naval Base
Kitsap-Bremerton.
Faber and Beam, in conjunction
with the public affairs staff of Sub-
marine Group Nine, the city of Bre-
merton and host submarine USS
Nebraska, assembled a busy sched-
ule for the officers and crew during
their visit. Events included:
; A welcome reception hosted by
the Navy League at Sam Adams
Brewhouse on Naval Base Kitsap-
Bremerton shortly after the ship’s
arrival;
; Ship tours and interviews with
local media outlets, local community
and military organizations (includ-
ing the local Sea Cadets Scorpion
Squadron), and prospective Navy
recruits in conjunction with Naval
Recruiting Office Silverdale, Wash.;
; A luncheon with former com-
manding officers;
; A reception for the ship’s officers
hosted by Commander, Submarine
Group Nine, RDML Dave Kriete, im-
mediately followed by another host-
ed by the officers of USS Nebraska;
; A community outreach event to
beautify the city of Bremerton’s Hal
Fischler Park;
; A reception for the entire crew
hosted by the Navy League and
McCloud’s Grill House;
; A private dinner for the com-
manding officer and executive officer
and their families at Faber’s home;
; A reception for the “Goat Locker”
(Chief Petty Officers) hosted at
Beam’s home on Rich Passage;
; A softball challenge against USS
Nebraska; and
; The reception at City Hall spon-
sored by Lent the evening before
departure.
Bremerton-Olympic Peninsula
Welcomes Namesake Submarine
By PETER ATKINSON, Deputy Editor
WWW.SEAPOWERMAGAZINE.ORG 72 SEAPOWER / MAY 2015
Bremerton-Olympic Peninsula, Wash., Council Board Member Dr. Byron Faber,
right, rides aboard the sail of the Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS
Bremerton as it arrives at its berth at Naval Base Kitsap-Bremerton sporting
a Seattle Seahawks 12th Man flag.
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