In the coming years, the U.S. Navy’s latest submarine will travel around the world. But its crew's home will be in southeastern Connecticut.
Saturday will mark a milestone for the USS Iowa, which was built by the Groton-headquartered General Dynamics Electric Boat, as a commissioning ceremony will be held at the naval submarine base in the same town to commemorate the acceptance of the Virginia-class fast-attack vessel into the Navy’s fleet. The April 5 commissioning ceremony is by invitation only and not open to the public. The submarine’s approximately 140 crew members who are stationed at the base will be there, however, and the event will offer them an opportunity to reflect on the extensive preparations for the launch and set goals for the years ahead.
“It’s been long and exhausting because the crew has had to balance the challenges of building the submarine, while also training to operate the submarine,” Lt. Commander Scott Carper, the executive officer who will serve as USS Iowa’s second-in-command, said Friday while standing on a pier next to the submarine at Naval Submarine Base New London, the official name of the Navy facility in Groton.
More For You
For one of USS Iowa’s two pilots, Machinist's Mate Auxiliary Mathew Holt, the training has made steering the boat a familiar process.
“We have special trainers here on base. Before we take the new submarine out, we go practice and do all types of scenarios,” Holt said. “It’s very similar to what we have on board the submarine. When we sit down, it’s almost like we’ve been doing it already for months or years.”
Now, the Groton-based crew members are looking forward to tours of duty offshore on the USS Iowa, which could take them into waters such as the Mediterranean Sea and Pacific Ocean.
“This crew is incredible. Everybody comments on how enthusiastic and high-energy they are,” Carper said. “I think what we would like to establish is that legacy of energy and enthusiasm. We’re certainly not going to be the best at everything all the time, but we come to work ready to fight and ready to learn.”
Crew members’ bullishness about the new submarine is anchored in their solidarity. While they will typically spend one to two months on the sub before returning home to Groton or resupplying at other ports, they are not concerned about the close quarters on the 377-foot-long vessel. They will be working most of the time, but they will also have some time to relax. Those activities will include meals such as “burger days,” cribbage games, watching movies and TV shows that they download before they deploy, as well as working out on the boat’s treadmill, bike and rowing machine.
“It’s really a unique job to have, where you are living, working, eating and sleeping with the people that you stand watch with every single day,” said Ensign Julia Panepinto, USS Iowa’s chief supply officer. “You have to have a really strong ability to cope and get along with people because, in the end, you’ve got to wake up and do it again the next day.”
Humor strengthens the bond among crew members. Panepinto’s colleagues call her “Chop,” which is the colloquial name for submarine supply officers.
“The reason behind it is everyone on board wears their (insignia known as) ‘dolphins,’” Panepinto said. “Mine have the supply corps’ oak leaf, which someone long ago decided looked like a pork chop. So supply officers get called ‘Chop.’ I don’t know how many guys even know my name.”
USS Iowa is the third Navy vessel named for the state of Iowa and the first submarine to bear the state's name. The previous vessel to carry the name was the Iowa-class battleship USS Iowa, also known as the “Gray Ghost,” which was in service from 1943 to 1990 and saw action during World War II, the Korean War and the Gulf War. The new boat pays homage to the former battleship through its slogan, “Fight Iowa, fear the ghost.”
The new submarine vessel represents the 13th Virginia-class sub completed by Electric Boat. It is powered by a nuclear reactor and equipped with torpedoes and Tomahawk missiles that can strike targets both at sea and on land.
By some defense analysts’ estimates, Virginia-class submarines cost approximately $2.4 billion to produce.
“It’s well-known around the world that in the U.S. we have magnificent shipbuilders,” said Aluin “Al” Morales, protocol officer for the commander, submarine forces.
Electric Boat’s next Virginia-class vessel, which will be named after the state of Idaho, is expected to be commissioned by next spring, according to Navy officials. The company has several more Virginia-class submarines under construction or in the planning stages.
Newport News Shipbuilding, a Huntington Ingalls Industries division that is the other builder of Virginia-class vessels, has finished several submarines in the group and is working on a number of additions.
April 4, 2025|Updated April 4, 2025 3:11 p.m.