Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
Hartford Courant
May 6, 2007
Future Of Subs The Day's Theme
By Jesse Hamilton, Courant Staff Writer
GROTON -- The Navy doesn't commission as often as it used to. The kind of coming-of-age event held Saturday for the factory-fresh USS Hawaii has been an increasing rarity on the Thames River.
Groton's sub builder, Electric Boat, is down to half a sub per year, splitting U.S. submarine production with Northrop Grumman Newport News in Virginia and struggling to get by with its specialized workforce carved smaller by periodic layoffs. When it puts out a sub like the Hawaii, its workers and officials are found among the gleaming crowd of admirals, politicians and crew families lining the pier to see it officially join the fleet - basking in the day.
But company officials have said that if Electric Boat doesn't begin to see more events like Saturday's, more subs being built for its solitary Navy customer, the company's massive Connecticut workforce could be further threatened.
So, while the Hawaii was becoming an official part of the naval fleet, there was another effort under the surface of the day, a campaign to sustain life in the sub industry. By coincidence, a man who has some control over the outcome was among the event's most prominent guests.
There's been a movement in the U.S. House of Representatives in recent months to build more subs sooner. The presidential administration's shipbuilding plan for the Navy calls for one submarine per year until 2012 when the output would double. A number of congressmen - including Rep. Joe Courtney, whose district includes Groton's sub base and Electric Boat - have argued for that second submarine much sooner, maybe as soon as the budget now under debate.
The congressman with the most clout when it comes to defense spending is Rep. John "Jack" Murtha, chairman of the subcommittee for defense appropriations. Murtha visited Groton recently and came out strongly for that additional submarine production. But do people in the Senate have similar views?
Murtha's counterpart, the Senate's defense appropriation chairman, is Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii. As the dignitaries from the Navy and from Hawaii gathered on the pier Saturday, he was front and center.
After the speeches about how honored and glad each was to witness the Hawaii brought to life, and after a few traditional Hawaiian songs sung and dances performed with wrist-turning grace, Inouye and the other dignitaries left the stage. They walked back along the pier beside the newest fast-attack nuclear submarine, SSN 776, the hulk's fresh black paint still drying in the sun.
At that point, asked whether he'll support the construction of an additional submarine in the coming budget, Inouye said, "I'm going to do my damnedest." As he climbed into the back of his car, he added, "We'll deliver."
That's exactly what Courtney and the other sub advocates are hoping from Inouye.
On the House side, progress had been made toward setting aside $588 million for an extra reactor and propulsion system - the heart of the additional submarine, and about a quarter of the total cost of a Virginia-class sub. But even if this down payment makes it through the House, the Senate has to sign off before it's official.
According to Courtney, he had a chance to talk to Inouye about this again on Saturday. A spokesman for Courtney said the senator from Hawaii expressed a strong desire to help.
As Connecticut's Sen. Chris Dodd pointed out in a statement Saturday, Inouye has been an ally before. Saturday's commissioning came on the 15th anniversary of a congressional vote to continue the Seawolf class of submarines, after the previous President Bush had tried to cease production.
Dodd, who was campaigning for president in Iowa, issued a statement praising Inouye for his "passionate advocacy" back then.
If it weren't for Inouye, Dodd's statement said, the U.S. sub fleet might have passed into history then. "This submarine pier would be deserted; the nearby buildings boarded up."
Courtney said to the crowd, "That's why we call him Connecticut's third senator."
The senator from Hawaii didn't say much when he was at the microphone Saturday. He called the commissioning of the new sub "a great day for our nation."
There was a lot of similarly grand vocabulary from the dignitaries, who included the leaders of the Navy and sub fleet. They talked about submarines being a projection of power and deterrence. Rear Adm. William Hilarides, program executive officer for submarines, called the Hawaii "the right boat at the right time for the nation." They also talked about its flexibility and relevance - a question that has dogged submarines during the current desert conflicts against insurgent fighters. The boat's Capt. David Solms talked about its ability to conduct surveillance, deliver special operations troops and launch missile strikes on land targets. Hilardes said, "She is purpose-built for uncertain times."
Adm. Gary Roughead, commander of the Pacific fleet, talked about the rising nations of Asia and their rising militaries. He didn't mention China specifically, though the Navy has watched that country's submarine fleet swell in size and capability. Roughead said peace can't be taken for granted and said, "Submarines are my most important and valuable weapon." He said to the Hawaii's crew of 136, "You will command the seas and keep the peace by demonstrating strength."
Meeting that crew is a demonstration, itself, in how this part of Connecticut is married to the submarine. Fire Control Technician 1st Class Brandon Labove is just one of those who works within the maze of the Hawaii's tight passages, strung with cables and equipment in an ultimate expression of utility. And he's one of many who have spent a Navy career in this spot.
He's been on the boat a few years now, but he won't follow it when it gets stationed in Pearl Harbor in 2009. He's a Mystic resident and wants to stay. So far, he's managed to spend his whole 12-year career at the Groton base, which is not only home to a number of submarines but also the school that trains submariners.
"I like the area," said the 29-year-old native Texan. "I like the seasons."
As long as the base is still open and Electric Boat is still building submarines, there's plenty of sub work in Groton, which calls itself the Submarine Capital of the World. "It's pretty easy to stay in Groton, if you want to," Labove said.
But when Congress passes a defense budget, one item - the money for a second submarine - could have a major say in whether Electric Boat will stay healthy and Groton will keep its title.
May 6, 2007
Future Of Subs The Day's Theme
By Jesse Hamilton, Courant Staff Writer
GROTON -- The Navy doesn't commission as often as it used to. The kind of coming-of-age event held Saturday for the factory-fresh USS Hawaii has been an increasing rarity on the Thames River.
Groton's sub builder, Electric Boat, is down to half a sub per year, splitting U.S. submarine production with Northrop Grumman Newport News in Virginia and struggling to get by with its specialized workforce carved smaller by periodic layoffs. When it puts out a sub like the Hawaii, its workers and officials are found among the gleaming crowd of admirals, politicians and crew families lining the pier to see it officially join the fleet - basking in the day.
But company officials have said that if Electric Boat doesn't begin to see more events like Saturday's, more subs being built for its solitary Navy customer, the company's massive Connecticut workforce could be further threatened.
So, while the Hawaii was becoming an official part of the naval fleet, there was another effort under the surface of the day, a campaign to sustain life in the sub industry. By coincidence, a man who has some control over the outcome was among the event's most prominent guests.
There's been a movement in the U.S. House of Representatives in recent months to build more subs sooner. The presidential administration's shipbuilding plan for the Navy calls for one submarine per year until 2012 when the output would double. A number of congressmen - including Rep. Joe Courtney, whose district includes Groton's sub base and Electric Boat - have argued for that second submarine much sooner, maybe as soon as the budget now under debate.
The congressman with the most clout when it comes to defense spending is Rep. John "Jack" Murtha, chairman of the subcommittee for defense appropriations. Murtha visited Groton recently and came out strongly for that additional submarine production. But do people in the Senate have similar views?
Murtha's counterpart, the Senate's defense appropriation chairman, is Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii. As the dignitaries from the Navy and from Hawaii gathered on the pier Saturday, he was front and center.
After the speeches about how honored and glad each was to witness the Hawaii brought to life, and after a few traditional Hawaiian songs sung and dances performed with wrist-turning grace, Inouye and the other dignitaries left the stage. They walked back along the pier beside the newest fast-attack nuclear submarine, SSN 776, the hulk's fresh black paint still drying in the sun.
At that point, asked whether he'll support the construction of an additional submarine in the coming budget, Inouye said, "I'm going to do my damnedest." As he climbed into the back of his car, he added, "We'll deliver."
That's exactly what Courtney and the other sub advocates are hoping from Inouye.
On the House side, progress had been made toward setting aside $588 million for an extra reactor and propulsion system - the heart of the additional submarine, and about a quarter of the total cost of a Virginia-class sub. But even if this down payment makes it through the House, the Senate has to sign off before it's official.
According to Courtney, he had a chance to talk to Inouye about this again on Saturday. A spokesman for Courtney said the senator from Hawaii expressed a strong desire to help.
As Connecticut's Sen. Chris Dodd pointed out in a statement Saturday, Inouye has been an ally before. Saturday's commissioning came on the 15th anniversary of a congressional vote to continue the Seawolf class of submarines, after the previous President Bush had tried to cease production.
Dodd, who was campaigning for president in Iowa, issued a statement praising Inouye for his "passionate advocacy" back then.
If it weren't for Inouye, Dodd's statement said, the U.S. sub fleet might have passed into history then. "This submarine pier would be deserted; the nearby buildings boarded up."
Courtney said to the crowd, "That's why we call him Connecticut's third senator."
The senator from Hawaii didn't say much when he was at the microphone Saturday. He called the commissioning of the new sub "a great day for our nation."
There was a lot of similarly grand vocabulary from the dignitaries, who included the leaders of the Navy and sub fleet. They talked about submarines being a projection of power and deterrence. Rear Adm. William Hilarides, program executive officer for submarines, called the Hawaii "the right boat at the right time for the nation." They also talked about its flexibility and relevance - a question that has dogged submarines during the current desert conflicts against insurgent fighters. The boat's Capt. David Solms talked about its ability to conduct surveillance, deliver special operations troops and launch missile strikes on land targets. Hilardes said, "She is purpose-built for uncertain times."
Adm. Gary Roughead, commander of the Pacific fleet, talked about the rising nations of Asia and their rising militaries. He didn't mention China specifically, though the Navy has watched that country's submarine fleet swell in size and capability. Roughead said peace can't be taken for granted and said, "Submarines are my most important and valuable weapon." He said to the Hawaii's crew of 136, "You will command the seas and keep the peace by demonstrating strength."
Meeting that crew is a demonstration, itself, in how this part of Connecticut is married to the submarine. Fire Control Technician 1st Class Brandon Labove is just one of those who works within the maze of the Hawaii's tight passages, strung with cables and equipment in an ultimate expression of utility. And he's one of many who have spent a Navy career in this spot.
He's been on the boat a few years now, but he won't follow it when it gets stationed in Pearl Harbor in 2009. He's a Mystic resident and wants to stay. So far, he's managed to spend his whole 12-year career at the Groton base, which is not only home to a number of submarines but also the school that trains submariners.
"I like the area," said the 29-year-old native Texan. "I like the seasons."
As long as the base is still open and Electric Boat is still building submarines, there's plenty of sub work in Groton, which calls itself the Submarine Capital of the World. "It's pretty easy to stay in Groton, if you want to," Labove said.
But when Congress passes a defense budget, one item - the money for a second submarine - could have a major say in whether Electric Boat will stay healthy and Groton will keep its title.