Source: Gray, Amanda R MC1 COMSUBGRU 9 / April 17, 2018
Subject: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Arrival of USS Bremerton (SSN 698) for Decommissioning
USS Bremerton (SSN698) the longest serving active duty submarine in the US Navy pictured here arriving during a previous call to Bremerton (source Alan Beam).
BREMERTON, Wash. (April 17, 2018) The Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Bremerton (SSN 698) will arrive at Naval Base Kitsap-Bremerton to commence the inactivation and decommissioning process, April 27.
Bremerton is currently the oldest active duty submarine. Under the command of Cmdr. Travis Zettel, Bremerton will be departing Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii for a homeport change to its namesake city. Bremerton has been homeported in Hawaii since 2003.
Bremerton completed their most recent deployment April 6, 2018. During the six-month deployment, the boat and her crew steamed more than 42,000 nautical miles and conducted five foreign port visits.
The submarine’s ability to support a multitude of missions, including anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface ship warfare, strike warfare, surveillance and reconnaissance, made Bremerton one of the most capable submarines in the world.
During the inactivation process, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility will de-fuel the submarine and then retain the hull in safe storage until the boat is recycled.
Commissioned March 28, 1981, Bremerton is the 11th boat of its class. She is the second U.S. Navy vessel to be named Bremerton. The boat’s mission is to seek out and destroy enemy ships and submarines and to protect U.S. national interests. At 360-feet-long and 6,900 tons, Bremerton can be armed with sophisticated MK48 advanced capability torpedoes and Tomahawk cruise missiles.
(END COMSUBGRU 9 ARTICLE)
USS Bremerton’s safe return to Pearl Harbor Hawaii in April 2018, after a successful WESTPAC deployment under the command of skipper Travis Zettel. Source: COMSUBPAC- US Navy Photo
USS Bremerton (SSN698) the longest serving active duty submarine in the US Navy pictured here while in Yokosuka, Japan in 2017. (US Navy Photo).
AND ONE MORE THING…
Here are some important dates in USS Bremerton (SSN 698) history that are frequently missing from most online sources (including the COMSUBGRU 9 article sourced above):
08 MAY 1976: KEEL LAID
22 JUL 1978 LAUNCHED
28 MAR 1981 COMMISSIONED
11 JUL 1981 DEPARTS GROTON
28 OCT 1981 Reports to Homeport PEARL HARBOR
18 AUG 1998 Reports to Homeport SAN DIEGO
16 SEP 2003 Reports to Homeport PEARL HARBOR
CK (Thanks to Dale Rogers and Dan Craw)
FOR MORE UP TO DATE EVENT NEWS, REFER TO WWW.BREMERTONREUNION.NET
Courtesy of Donald Jones
I’m trying to get contact information regarding attending the decomm ceremony. Anyone been successful in that regard?
You can refer to http://www.bremertonreunion.net for the latest news as I can determine it. I am in fairly close contact with the organizers of the DECOM events and until the boat arrives in Bremerton, the needs of the Navy dictate the timing of public events. Situation beyond the arrival celebration will remain uncertain until at least that point. Clarity more likely in a month.