USS Hawaii To Be Home Ported At Pearl Harbor
By Mass Communications Specialist Third Class Luciano Marano, COMSUBPAC Public Affairs, December 1, 2008

Commander, Submarine Force Pacific Rear Adm. Douglas McAneny announced today USS Hawaii (SSN 776) will be the first Virginia-class submarine to be home ported at Naval Station Pearl Harbor this summer.

“SUBPAC is thrilled to be welcoming the most technologically advanced submarine in the U.S. inventory to our ohana, said McAneny Virginia class submarines like USS Hawaii are the first to be designed post Cold War to excel in the littorals, while maintaining the ability to conduct open ocean operations, which will directly support my ability to meet and defeat threats to maritime security in the Pacific.”

Commissioned May 5, 2007, Hawaii was the third Virginia class attack submarine constructed and the first submarine to be named after the island state.  Her crew is excited to represent its namesake state, as they continue to build upon our already sustained relationships with our multi-national partners in the Asia-Pacific Region.

Adm. Robert Willard, Commander U.S. Pacific Fleet, was eager to take advantage of the capabilities USS Hawaii will bring to the Pacific USS Hawaii represents our very newest technologies and advancements in submarine design and capability, said Willard.  These boats contribute to a great deal of what we do to maritime security, to the employment of our special operations forces, and all dimensions of warfare in the Pacific.”
Hawaii’s Governor Linda Lingle, the submarine‚s sponsor, was also pleased with the announcement of USS Hawaii‚s new homeport. As Governor, I am elated the USS Hawaii (SSN 776) will make Pearl Harbor home,” said Lingle.  “This fabulous journey began with the keel laying in 2004, continued with the christening in 2006 and the proud day of commissioning in 2007.  As the submarine‚s sponsor, watching our submarine be brought to life‚ has been an honor and a privilege. Now, to have our namesake submarine call Hawai`i home is the culmination of an important and exciting venture.  I look forward to welcoming the entire crew and the families to our state.

Measuring 377 feet long, weighing 7,800 tons when submerged and with a complement of more than 130 crewmembers, Hawaii is one of the Navy’s newest and most technologically sophisticated submarines.  USS Hawaii conducted its first operational deployment prior to its post-shakedown availability, demonstrating the Virginia-class program‚s capability to immediately support the fleet.
Hawaii‚s senior Senator Daniel Inouye reflected on the importance of USS Hawaii‚s home porting in the Aloha State It is indeed fitting that the first Virginia Class submarine to arrive into Pearl Harbor will be the USS Hawaii, said Inouye.  I have no doubt that the men and women of the shipyard will ensure that she is fit and remains fit to fight today and in the years to follow.  The USS Hawaii will be a national security beacon throughout the Asia-Pacific region.  I wish its crew Godspeed and calm seas.

USS Hawaii is a state-of-the-art submarine 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, strike group support, and mine warfare.  She will join the force of fifteen Los Angeles-class submarines presently home ported in Pearl Harbor.

Navy: USS Hawaii To Be Based At Pearl Harbor
Associated Press, December 4, 2008

The Navy has officially announced it will base the USS Hawaii submarine at Pearl Harbor.

Gov. Linda Lingle and Hawaii Sen. Daniel Inouye have long said the submarine would be based in the islands. But the Navy didn’t make a formal announcement until Thursday.

The Hawaii is only the third Virginia-class submarine, the Navy’s most advanced underwater vessel.

The 377-foot ship has a crew of more than 130 sailors and officers.

It will join 15 Los Angeles-class nuclear-powered submarines at Pearl Harbor.

The Hawaii is the first submarine to be named after the island state.

Inouye has also said two other Virginia-class submarines ˆ the USS Texas and the USS North Carolina ˆ would join the Hawaii at Pearl Harbor.

USS Hawai`i Might Arrive In Time For Statehood Day Celebration
By William Cole, Honolulu Advertiser, December 5, 2008

The Navy has speeded up the arrival of Pearl Harbor’s first Virginia-class attack submarine, the USS Hawai`i, with the state-named sub expected be in its new home port around June, officials said.

Officials hope the namesake submarine can take part in the 50th anniversary of Statehood Day, which is celebrated on the third Friday in August. On Aug. 21, 1959, Hawai`i became the 50th state in the union.

Pearl Harbor is expected to receive three of the first four of the latest-generation subs to be built after the lead ship in the class, the USS Virginia.

The Hawai`i, Texas and North Carolina would be based here and augment and begin to replace the 15 older Los Angeles-class attack subs that operate out of Pearl Harbor.

The Texas was projected to arrive first in 2009, but the arrival of the Hawai`i has now been moved up ahead of the Texas. Officials said the flip-flop is a result of some political clout working to bring the USS Hawai`i to Pearl Harbor as fast as possible and the need for some work on the Texas.

Maj. Gen. Robert G.F. Lee, the state adjutant general, said it’s hard to say what the new submarine’s operational commitments will be, but “we would like to work with the Navy to see how we could work in the USS Hawai`i as part of statehood celebrations.”

U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye, D-Hawai`i, said it is fitting that the first Virginia-class submarine to be home-ported at Pearl Harbor will be the USS Hawai`i.

“I have no doubt that the men and women of the shipyard will ensure that she is fit and remains fit to fight today and in the years to follow,” Inouye said.

The 377-foot Virginia-class subs are expected to provide work for the shipyard, the state’s largest industrial employer. Inouye in August 2007 announced that the Hawai`i, Texas and North Carolina would be coming to Pearl Harbor.

The $2.4 billion to $2.7 billion high-tech submarines are designed to operate in both the open ocean and nearshore shallows, and have improved stealth, sophisticated surveillance capabilities and special warfare enhancements.

“USS Hawai`i represents our very newest technologies and advancements in submarine design and capability,” said Adm. Robert Willard, commander of U.S. Pacific Fleet.

NAVY LEAGUE GOLF, it is fun and it helps others.

In recent years, the Navy League’s golf program has not only continued to gain in public popularity, but has been a significant financial resource to help fund the many invaluable programs that support the men and women of our Sea Serices - Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marine.  Programs such as Sea Cadets, Navy-Marine Relief, Enlisted Person of the Year, and Toys for Tots have been supported in the past by the profits from the Navy League’s golf program.  By year’s end, the program over the last five years would have raised approximately $100,000, as well as hundreds of toys for the Toys for Tots program.  Of course, all this would not have been possilbe without the many golfers who play in the tournaments; the generous sponsors who provide financial support; and the many volunteers who willingly give their time and effort to ensure a successful tournament.

We continually strive to make the golf program a success.  We encourage golfers to participate in our tournaments as we play on military golf courses, which are not readily available to the general public.  We are constantly looking for sponsors that will enable us to provide the financial support for the Navy League’s programs.  Lastly, we encourage individuals to volunteer their time to help make these tournaments such an enjoyable experience for the golfers.

The next golf tournament is the 5th Annual Golf Tournament which will be held on Friday, August 22nd at the Klipper Golf Course on Marine Corps Base Hawaii-Kaneohe.  For those that have never played the course, it has probably the most spectacular hole on any military golf course.  For those that have played the course, you know it as Hole #13, which is along the ocean.  This major tournament will include lunch, buffet dinner, on-course refreshments, and many, many prizes.  ADM Thomas B. Fargo, USN (ret.) has graciously consented to be our Honorary Chairperson.  If you would like to be involved, please contact the Navy League’s office at 422-9404.

The men and women who serve in our Sea Services and their families deserve our support and to know we appreciate their sacrifices.  To the many golfers, gracious sponsors, and wonderful volunteers, a special MAHALO!  The Honolulu Council of the Navy League asks for your continued support so we can help those that serve our great nation.

Melvin H. W. Ing

The Honolulu Council of the Navy League has many wonderful programs, but the one program that offers a unique insight into the military is the Navy League Bridge program.  The purpose of this program is to provide Bridge members not only a better understanding as to how the military function, but the unique requirements and situations that each military service faces, whether it is threats to our national security or the well being of it’s service members and their families.

Monthly briefing sessions by notable military leaders such as ADM Tom Keating, USN, Commander, PACOM; Lt. Gen. John F. Goodman, USMC, Command General, MARFORPAC; and RADM Sally Brice-Ohara, USCG, Commandant, 14th Coast Guard District have provided highly informative and insightful perspectives on many issues that confront our military.  Other events have included a visitation to the C-17 Squadron based on Hickam AFB, tours of the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, Red Hill fuel storage facilities, and Marine Corps Base Hawaii-Kaneohe; as well as the ever popular tour of visiting aircraft carriers.

The military not only play such a critical role in the security of our country, but has a tremendous impact on our local community.  Whether it is the home porting of ships or basing of units; deployment of units to meet security threats; or restructuring of the services for the ever changing challenges of the 21st century, there are implications to our state from both an economic to a human perspective.  The Bridge provides a forum to better understand these implications.

If you are interested in a membership into the Bridge, please contact Bob McDermott, Executive Director, Honolulu Council of the Navy League at 422-9404 for more information.  We invite you to attend one of our monthly sessions as a guest of the Bridge.

Melvin H. W. Ing

Which Honolulu military base, company, organization, place or people fit these clues?

1. Benjamin Franklin Dillingham built Hawaii’s first planned community here in 1890 as a stop for his train.  Unitl World War II, it was a weekend and summer retreat for Oahu’s wealthy.  Name it.
2. What did Hawaiians call Pearl Harbor?  What did Hawaii get from the U.S. in exchange for Pearl Harbor?  Who cam to Hawaii to see if Pearl Harbor would make a good naval base?
3. Who was the first man to predict the Japanese would attack Pearl Harbor in 1923?  How would they do it without aircraft carriers?
4. Which Italian naval battle was the model for the attack on Pearl Harbor?
5. Experts say Japan made a fatal miscalculation in its attach on Pearl Harbor.  What was it?
6. The effort to raise money to build the Arizona Memorial was floundering in 1961.  A singer offered to perform a benefit concert, and it raised th $64,000 needed to complete the project.  Who was he?
7. In 1880, King Kalakaua traveled to Japan and offered his neice’s hand in marriage to Crown Prince Taiso.  What was her name?
8. Which Asian war made the United States realize Hawaii’s strategically important location, and led to our annexation?
9. This high school’s mascot honors the B-26 airplanes and the military personnel that once flew over the campus during WWII.
10. A major landmark was once named for a Navy man who flew a seaplane 2,200 miles to Hawaii, but ran out of fuel 300 miles away in 1925.  His crew made sails from the seaplane’s fabric-covered wings and sailed it the rest of the way here.
11. During World War II, tourism to Hawaii stopped, and the Navy took over the Royal Hawaiian Hotel for R&R.  Before they arrived, the staff sealed up an important part of the hotel.  After the war, they returned to learn that the Navy personnel had never discovered it.  What were they so interested in hiding?
12. Was Tripler painted pink on purpose?  Who was Tripler named for?  What was its original name and location?
13. Which Army base was built to protect Pearl Harbor from an overland attack?
14. This Army Division was the first ever be given permission to use a nickname, in addition to its regular numerical designation.  The nickname symbolizes the speed and aggressive spirit of the Division and that they fought fought on Guadalcanal and the Soloman Islands.  Name it.
15. The first fort in Hawaii was built on the Honolulu waterfront in 1815 by sailors from this nation.  Fort Street took its name from the fort.  Which nation built it?
16. Fort Shafter has been home to the senior Army headquarters in Hawaii for over a century.  Who was Shafter and what did he do?  What is Fort Shafter’s nickname?
17. Which famous officers club was once on the slopes of Diamond Head?
18. In 1958, the Department of Defense tested anti-ballistic nuclear weapons at Johnston Island.  What was unusual about those tests?

These are the questions that were asked at our recent Navy League event.  If you would like to participate in our Navy League events, please contact us for more information. 

You could also go out and purchase Bob Sigall’s books, The Companies We Keep, and the second book, The Companies We Keep 2.

Aloha Navy Leaguers,

I just want to remind everyone that April 11th, 2008 marks the 108th Birthday of the Submarine Force.  To get tickets for their ball, call Tyrone Oien, chair of the Ball at 391-2782.

 We have some exciting events planned for Navy Leaguers in the next few weeks…here is just a Sample:

Scheduled Events:

• General Membership event     02/28/08   @ 1800 till 2000     Oahu Vet Center     Alan Lloyd Battle of Midway Speech
• Bridge Event               03/07/08          TBD                  HAFB                      C-17 trainer Briefing with hands on time!
• General Membership event    03/19/09    @ 1800 til 2000      Oahu Vet Center      Bob Sigal, Military Hist. in Hawaii …Why is Trippler in Pink? Etc..
• Bridge Event      TBD for March General Membership event    
•  04/04/08    @ 1200 til Pau         Navy Marine G.C.   Spring Golf Tournament  ….Golf with us for $85.00 at Navy Marine….Great Fun!      
• Flag Mess      04/10/08    @ 1800 til 2030       3660 on the Rise   Leadership event, by invatation only…topic.. NAVFAC
• PACFLT SOY       04/17/08          @ 1130 til 1330          Ala Moana Hotel     Admiral Bird speaker ….Also, Lt. Gov. Aiona will speak….Corp. Table Sponsorships are avialable for the Pacific Fleet Sailor of the Year on 4/17/08.  Please consider purchasing a table of 10 for $400.00 dollars and sponsoring 8 hard working sailors in the process.   They are the best and the brightest our country has to offer us.    

Our New President Don Morrison is off to a fantastic Start.  Membership Chairman Carl Devoe just signed up 20 new Members….Way to go Carl!  

If you have any questions, feel free to call me anytime at 422-9404 or my cell, 371-4605.  With Much Aloha,

Bob McDermott

Executive Director, US Navy League, Honolulu Council           

Aloha Navy League Members,

We had a great annual meeting last week thanks to our annual meeting organizer Mildred Courtney and the young staff in our office.  The food was magnificent and we got to honor some very special poeple like Mrs. Courtney, Shirleanne Chew, Bob Dewitz, Dave Livingston, Tim Gaurd, Mrs. P. Pasha Baker, Mel Ing, and four Legislators who support us as well, Sen. Norman Sakamoto, former rep. Mark Moses, Rep.’s Magaoay and Ito.   A grand time was had by all as Admiral Willard briefed us on the state of our Navy. 

Lastly, Congrats to outgoing President Jack Flanagan for a job well done!  We all look forward to the energy and ideas our new President Don Morrison brings to the table!   

Next event up:  PACFLT Sailor of the Year, 4/17/08 at the Ala Moana Hotel.  Please call 422-9404 for reservations.

Dear Navy League Members & Supporters,

Aloha and good evening!

First, I would like to thank our wonderful sponsors who have made this evening possible. Thanks to their generosity, we are able to put on a first class event that honors two very special people. In addition, the proceeds from this event will go toward our educational programs supporting our nations’ Sea Services. These include but are not limited to, the Navy League Sea Cadet Corps, ship commissionings such as the USS Chung-Hoon and the USS Hawaii, programs to assist sailors and their dependents, service member morale, recreation, and welfare, community outreach, the various NJROTC programs, war memorials/commemorations, and many, many other worthy causes. We can do this because of you, our sponsors. 

Secondly, I’d like to thank our Committee, led by Shirleyanne Chew, who worked tirelessly to ensure that our honorees are given the appropriate tribute this evening. They wanted to ensue that Tom Fargo and Elaine Ota were given ample recognition for their respective lifetimes of service to our great country. As the night unfolds, you will here much more about these two remarkable individuals. 

In closing, I want to again say mahalo to all who have contributed to this great event. I wish to also offer my personal congratulations to this years American Patriot Honoree’s, Admiral Tom Fargo USN (Ret.) and Mrs. Elaine Ota. 

Mahalo Nui Loa,

Jack Flanagan
President
US Navy League, Honolulu Council