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Thousands celebrate at submarine ceremony
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| A SAILOR ON the USS Georgia bows his head as the boat's chaplain, Lt. Cmdr. Timothy Hall, prays just before the conclusion of the submarine's Return to Service Ceremony on Friday at Naval Submarine Base, Kings Bay. The boat's first deployment is slated for 2009. (Tribune & Georgian photo/Emily Goodson) |
By Emily Goodson
Everyone was there but the sand gnats. The USS Georgia made a triumphant return to its namesake state Friday as thousands of Camden County residents, elected and business leaders, submarine crew members and their families attended the boat's Return to Service Ceremony at Naval Submarine Base, Kings Bay.
"It's been a long, long time coming," said Sheila McNeill, chairwoman of the USS Georgia Return to Service Committee, which planned the event. "It brought the community together in a wonderful way."
Ceremony attendees heard comments from Gov. Sonny Perdue and U.S. Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Ga., as well as USS Georgia personnel.
Toward the end of the event, Capt. Brain McIlvaine allowed McNeill to give the Georgia's crew the official order to man the boat.
With the boat's return to service in the United States' submarine fleet, the focus now turns toward the sub's first deployment, scheduled for early 2009.
McIlvaine said after the ceremony Friday that his focus now is on bringing the Georgia to the fight against terrorism.
"The day I'm really looking forward to is the day early next year when we go on deployment," he said. "We've provided a much-needed capability - being able to bring the fight ashore."
The mammoth USS Georgia was recently revamped from a traditional SSBN, which carried the Trident D-5 nuclear missile, to an SSGN, which carried Tomahawk cruise missiles and is capable of carrying and deploying special forces members like Army Rangers or Navy SEALs.
McIlvaine said the importance of the Georgia's mission cannot be underscored.
"A lot of people don't know that that insurance policy [of the Georgia] is in the bank, but it is," he said. "We'll be operating up close and in personal."
McIlvaine added that the boat is currently in the process of getting new fire control and sonar systems and will need to test all of its systems to get certified before it goes on its first official mission.
"It's going to be a busy time," he said of the rest of this year.
McNeill said that the Camden community should continue to support the Georgia as well as the rest of the submarine fleet at Kings Bay.
"We need to make them welcome but we need to not forget about all of the other boats that we have here," she said.
A longtime supporter of the SSGN concept, McNeill said she now plans to focus her energies on the future of Kings Bay and the potential it holds.
"We have to look forward 20 years from now when these boats are gone," she said, adding that she anticipates a fight for federal dollars for future technological development at Kings Bay.
In the future, the Navy should build on the current capabilities of the SSGNs by designing "platforms that can be adjusted in the future depending on the threat," McNeill said, adding that she believes the military will continue to convert older technological platforms to newer ones.
Keith Post, president of the Navy League of Camden County and co-chairman of the Return to Service Committee, agreed with McNeill that the Navy will need to build on the SSGNs' capabilities in the future.
"With their special forces capabilities there might be some possibilities there that we need to explore," he said.
Post also reflected on Friday's ceremony, saying the Navy League will continue to support the submarine force at Kings Bay with such annual events as the Sailor of the Year awards and Washington Fly-In.
"It was a big honor for me to be a part of this," he said of the ceremony. "I just think the whole week was flawless. I want to say thanks to everyone who supported financially, by volunteering or just by supporting us. It really showed what we here in south Georgia are capable of doing."
"It's been a long, long time coming," said Sheila McNeill, chairwoman of the USS Georgia Return to Service Committee, which planned the event. "It brought the community together in a wonderful way."
Ceremony attendees heard comments from Gov. Sonny Perdue and U.S. Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Ga., as well as USS Georgia personnel.
Toward the end of the event, Capt. Brain McIlvaine allowed McNeill to give the Georgia's crew the official order to man the boat.
With the boat's return to service in the United States' submarine fleet, the focus now turns toward the sub's first deployment, scheduled for early 2009.
McIlvaine said after the ceremony Friday that his focus now is on bringing the Georgia to the fight against terrorism.
"The day I'm really looking forward to is the day early next year when we go on deployment," he said. "We've provided a much-needed capability - being able to bring the fight ashore."
The mammoth USS Georgia was recently revamped from a traditional SSBN, which carried the Trident D-5 nuclear missile, to an SSGN, which carried Tomahawk cruise missiles and is capable of carrying and deploying special forces members like Army Rangers or Navy SEALs.
McIlvaine said the importance of the Georgia's mission cannot be underscored.
"A lot of people don't know that that insurance policy [of the Georgia] is in the bank, but it is," he said. "We'll be operating up close and in personal."
McIlvaine added that the boat is currently in the process of getting new fire control and sonar systems and will need to test all of its systems to get certified before it goes on its first official mission.
"It's going to be a busy time," he said of the rest of this year.
McNeill said that the Camden community should continue to support the Georgia as well as the rest of the submarine fleet at Kings Bay.
"We need to make them welcome but we need to not forget about all of the other boats that we have here," she said.
A longtime supporter of the SSGN concept, McNeill said she now plans to focus her energies on the future of Kings Bay and the potential it holds.
"We have to look forward 20 years from now when these boats are gone," she said, adding that she anticipates a fight for federal dollars for future technological development at Kings Bay.
In the future, the Navy should build on the current capabilities of the SSGNs by designing "platforms that can be adjusted in the future depending on the threat," McNeill said, adding that she believes the military will continue to convert older technological platforms to newer ones.
Keith Post, president of the Navy League of Camden County and co-chairman of the Return to Service Committee, agreed with McNeill that the Navy will need to build on the SSGNs' capabilities in the future.
"With their special forces capabilities there might be some possibilities there that we need to explore," he said.
Post also reflected on Friday's ceremony, saying the Navy League will continue to support the submarine force at Kings Bay with such annual events as the Sailor of the Year awards and Washington Fly-In.
"It was a big honor for me to be a part of this," he said of the ceremony. "I just think the whole week was flawless. I want to say thanks to everyone who supported financially, by volunteering or just by supporting us. It really showed what we here in south Georgia are capable of doing."
