Serving at Sea Part One: Life on a US Navy submarine
NORFOLK, VA (WWAY) — As part of Navy Week in Wilmington, WWAY’s “Serving at Sea” series takes a closer look at the men and women who protect our country and its assets. In the first of a five-part series, reporter Matt Bennett tours a submarine in Norfolk, Virginia and meets with the crew to hear their stories.
Naval Station Norfolk, the largest naval base in the world, is the headquarters of the U.S. Navy’s Fleet Forces Command. Captain Dave Hecht says Fleet Forces’ main mission is to ensure the Navy is ready for action at all times.
“For all of the ships, the submarines, the aircraft carriers, the squadrons, our job is primarily to make sure that they are properly manned, properly trained, and properly equipped,” Hecht said.
Captain Hecht invited WWAY and other stations from across the country to participate in a program called “Sailor for a Day,” giving them an inside look at life in the Navy.
“The American public doesn’t have access to come on bases and see all this amazing stuff and the amazing people behind it,” Hecht said. “That’s why we do this program.”
Before experiencing life as a sailor, Bennett first had to look the part. He got fitted for his flame retardant uniform and got his first assignment at the Submarine Learning Center. A Submarine Simulator provides sailors with a virtual experience of what it’s like to pilot a real Los Angeles-class submarine before actually going under.
Lieutenant Commander Jerry Tuck, a sailor from Boiling Spring Lakes, helps facilitate the training sessions. He says resources can sometimes be limited.
“With 16 submarine commands here, we only have two trainers for submerged operation, only one for surfaced operation,” Tuck said. “So ensuring that those priorities are met and that boats get the access to the resources that we have in a fair manner, it takes a lot of coordination.”
Next, Bennett got to tour one of those submarine commands, the USS New Hampshire. Jason Cuevas, from Garner, North Carolina, is a sonar technician onboard the nuclear-powered attack sub.
“Deployments are about six months, there’s times in between where you will pull into ports to resupply and things like that,” Cuevas said. “I think the most I’ve been underwater for is about 90 days.”
Cuevas says crew members rely on one another to keep their sanity during those long stretches at sea. That includes Junior Officer Hannah Cedotal, a University of South Carolina graduate and one of just six women onboard one of the Navy’s silent protectors.
“With the different highlights of what the world’s going through right now, what we do is employ like that, like we are ready at all times for anything that comes to us,” Cedotal said. “So being able to train, getting ready for what’s to come in the future is the utmost importance of the Navy.”
The “Serving at Sea” series will continue each day this week with more in-depth looks at the people and technology that keep the Navy running.
View other Serving at Sea stories:
Serving at Sea Part Two: Navy Expeditionary Unit shows off hovercrafts, advanced simulators
Serving at Sea Part Three: Boarding the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower
Serving at Sea Part Four: Hometown Heroes aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower
