U.S.S. Iowa submarine commissioning ceremony to take place this Saturday
There are more than two dozen watch parties in Iowa for Saturday's ceremony, as well as a live-stream set up on the USS Iowa Commissioning Committee.
There are more than two dozen watch parties in Iowa for Saturday's ceremony, as well as a live-stream set up on the USS Iowa Commissioning Committee.
There are more than two dozen watch parties in Iowa for Saturday's ceremony, as well as a live-stream set up on the USS Iowa Commissioning Committee.
The USS Iowa Commissioning Committee is about to see a project years in the making come to an end. On Saturday, April 5, the fast-attack submarine USS Iowa will be commissioned by the US Navy in Groton, CT.
“It’s kind of bittersweet because it’s coming to an end,” said Tom Hudson, a U.S. Navy Veteran and an executive director of the USS Iowa Commissioning Committee. “We’ve had a lot of interaction with the crew for the last five or six years.”
According to the , the USS Iowa SSN 797 is a fast-attack nuclear-powered submarine.
Hudson says he and about 600 people from Iowa will travel to Connecticut this week, joining many others for the end.
“The last ship that was named Iowa was a battleship that was decommissioned 35 years ago. This will be the next ship named Iowa, and it will represent the State of Iowa during the 35-year life cycle of this submarine,” said Hudson.
Hudson tells vlog the USS Iowa is a first of its kind.
Back in 2010, a ban was lifted that prohibited women from serving onboard submarines. Submarines were then retrofitted to accommodate.
“This submarine is the first submarine that has been purposely built to hold females and to house females,” said Hudson. “It will have private berthing and bathrooms and all that kind of stuff specifically for females.”
Hudson says the USS Iowa Commissioning Committee raised money for the last five or six years for this week’s events and to provide upgrades to the boat that aren’t a part of the building process.
“For example: where the crew eats and where they watch movies and things like that. We’re getting them ice cream machines. We’re getting them movie projectors. We’re getting them gaming stations,” said Hudson. “So when they’re out to sea, and they’re gone for 90, 100, 200 days at a time, they can have increased and improved quality of life.”
It’s all for an elite group Hudson says will serve on the USS Iowa.
“To take the best of the Navy and then put them on submarines and then be on a ship named after and represent Iowa, it should cause a great deal of pride for an Iowan to have that,” said Hudson.
The commissioning ceremony is set to take place Saturday at 10 a.m. EST. There are some events before then in Connecticut on Thursday and Friday. There are also more than two dozen watch parties for Saturday’s ceremony going on across Iowa, as well as a way to live stream the ceremony. You can find all of that information .
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Note: This story has been updated to include the correct spelling of "berthing."