A Foster Daily Democrat Article published Jun 9, 2014
USS California arrives in Portsmouth
KITTERY, Maine – The Virginia-class fast attack submarine USS California arrived Sunday afternoon at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard with its 15 officers and more than 115 enlisted personnel. The submarine was scheduled to complete maintenance work while it at the shipyard. The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard is the Navy’s center of excellence for fast attack submarine overhaul, maintenance, and repair.
USS California (SSN 781) is the seventh Navy ship, and first submarine, to be named after the Golden State. It is the eighth Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarine built to excel in many different kinds of naval warfare, including anti-submarine warfare, anti-ship warfare, and strike warfare.
The California is adept at operating in both the world’s shallow littoral regions and deep waters, directly enabling five of the six Navy maritime strategy core capabilities—sea control, power projection, forward presence, maritime security, and deterrence.
The Virginia-class subs are replacing the older Los Angeles-class submarines, 20 of which have already been decomissioned, according to a U.S. Navy website,.
According to wikipedia, the California was the first Virginia-class submarine built with an advanced electromagnetic signature reduction system; although it will be retrofitted into older submarines of the class.
California was delivered to the Navy on August 7, 2011, eight-and-a-half months ahead of schedule at a cost of $2.3 billion.
It was commissioned on Oct. 29, 2011 in Norfolk, Va.
When full, the ship weighs in at 7,900 tons and 7,800 tons when light.
It measures 377 feet long, and can reach a speed greater than 25 knots.
Assigned to the Atlantic Fleet, the USS California was commissioned on Oct. 29, 2011, and is home ported in Groton, Conn..
California’s Commanding Officer, Cmdr. Shawn W. Huey, enlisted in the Navy in 1990 and was later accepted into the Nuclear Enlisted Commissioning Program. He earned a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Auburn University in August 1995 and was commissioned in December 1995.
Cmdr. Huey’s operational assignments include tours of duty on the Sturgeon-class attack submarine USS Parche (SSN 683), Engineer Officer on the Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Portsmouth (SSN 707), and Executive Officer on the Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine USS Alabama (SSBN 731).
Cmdr. Huey served as a Junior Officer Detailer at the Bureau of Naval Personnel in Millington, TN, and as Commander, Submarine Force Atlantic Nuclear Power Officer.
On Feb. 1, 2013, Cmdr. Huey assumed command of USS California.