Submarine Named After East Tn Town Has Command Change

Did you know that an East Tennessee town has a submarine named after it? In Kittery, Maine last week, Cmdr. Robert Lane turned over command of the Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Greeneville (SSN 772) to Cmdr. Chad Tella during a traditional change of command ceremony. The USS Greeneville was commissioned in 1996 and is the 61st and penultimate Los Angeles-class submarine and is the only vessel in U.S. Navy history to be named after Greeneville, Tennessee. The submarine has a crew of more than 110 personnel, is more than 362 feet long, and can displace nearly 7,000 tons.

The Los Angeles-class subs are a class of nuclear-powered fast attack submarines that forms the backbone of the U.S. Navy’s submarine force. Fast-attack submarines are multi-mission platforms enabling five of the six Navy maritime strategy core capabilities – sea control, power projection, forward presence, maritime security, and deterrence. They are designed to excel in anti-submarine warfare, anti-ship warfare, strike warfare, special operations, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, irregular warfare, and mine warfare. Fast-attack submarines project power ashore with special operations forces and Tomahawk cruise missiles in the prevention or response to regional crises.