The Associated Press
03/07/00 6:02 PM Eastern
BANGOR, Wash. (AP) -- The USS Jimmy Carter, a nuclear attack submarine being
specially modified for clandestine and surveillance work, will be based at
Submarine Base Bangor on Hood Canal, the office of Rep. Norm Dicks, D-Wash.,
said Tuesday.
The Carter is the third of the Seawolf class submarines, the newest attack subs in the Navy's fleet. It is being modified by Electric Boat Corp. in Groton, Conn., to accommodate special warfare missions. That work is expected to be completed by mid-2004, and the sub is expected to arrive at its new homeport in late 2004, following testing and sea trials.
Last year, the Navy confirmed that the Carter's hull was being lengthened to allow it to carry Navy SEALs and to conduct surveillance. The sub has a crew of about 130.
Dicks said that basing the Carter at Bangor "was a strategic move for the Navy, but it will also bring substantial benefits to Kitsap County." Bangor currently is the homeport for eight of the Navy's Trident ballistic missile submarines, as well as the USS Parche, an attack submarine with a long history of surveillance and special operations missions.
Passed along by Pat Householder, Issaquah, WA; ex- Chopper, Diodon, Redfish
USSVI Seattle Chapter
http://www.geocities.com/ps-subvet/