USS Hawaii Departs for Western Pacific Deployment

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Ronald Gutridge, Commander, Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet Public Affairs

PEARL HARBOR, (NNS) -- The Virginia-class fast attack submarine USS Hawaii (SSN 776) departed Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam for a scheduled deployment to the Western Pacific region Aug. 25.

With a crew of 136, this is Hawaii's first Western Pacific deployment and the first time deploying from Pearl Harbor.

Hawaii will be conducting a multitude of missions while assigned to 7th Fleet during the next several months.

"It has been a very busy year for the team as they have made the homeport shift from Groton, Conn., to Pearl Harbor in July 2009 and have progressed through the deployment certification process during most of 2010," said Cmdr. Steve Mack, USS Hawaii commanding officer and a native of Silver Spring, Md. "For a large part of the crew this will be their first deployment and for many it will also be the first time to the Western Pacific. Our goals are to complete all assigned tasking safely and return to our friends and family."

For Sonar Technician Submarine 3rd Class Marquis Perry, from Kansas City, Mo., this will be his first deployment.

"I am very excited and motivated to get underway on deployment where I will finally get the opportunity to utilize my training," said Perry. "I am also looking forward to all of the world travel and experiencing the different cultures of the places we will visit."

Measuring 377 feet long and weighing 7,800 tons when submerged, Hawaii is one of the Navy's newest and most technologically sophisticated submarines.

The state-of-the-art submarine is capable of supporting a multitude of missions, including anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface ship warfare, strike, naval special warfare involving special operations forces, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, irregular warfare and mine warfare.