Pasadena’s Been Underwater for 27 years As a Navy Nuclear Submarine

Most people don’t know it, but beneath the waves of oceans thousands of miles from City Hall there’s a crew of dedicated sailors who live in Pasadena defending our nation from our enemies.

More accurately, they live in the USS Pasadena, a Los Angeles-class nuclear-powered fast attack submarine.

Navy Captain Brian Davies, Commander, Submarine Squadron 11 stopped by the Pasadena Rotary Club’s weekly luncheon Wednesday to talk about the USS Pasadena and the crew and missions that keep it traveling around the globe.

“It’s out on deployment right now doing wonderful things with a phenomenal crew that is out there defending our country this very minute,” said Davies.

The USS Pasadena, also known as SSN 752, was commissioned in 1989 and is the third vessel and first submarine named Pasadena in the United States Navy.

Its missions include primarily anti-submarine warfare and strike warfare and is home to 123 enlisted sailors and 14 officers while at sea—a timeline that can reach up to ten months per deployment.

“There is an elaborate training structure implemented for the crews that go out in this sub for those extended periods of time,” said Davies.

The vessel has unlimited endurance due to its nuclear propulsion plant, the most advanced sonar, torpedo, cruise missile, and mine delivery systems, the best combination of speed and stealth due to quieting and the capacity to fulfill numerous missions because of the versatility of the ship with its highly trained and dedicated crew, according to the USS Pasadena website.

SSN 752 was awarded the prestigious Submarine Squadron Seven Battle “E” Efficiency award for 1998, which recognizes commands that have attained the highest overall or departmental readiness to carry out their wartime tasks.

It was also awarded the Morale and Welfare Recreation (MWR) Fleet Recreation award for the entire Navy in 2001.

According to Davies, the crew takes the heritage of USS Pasadena very seriously.

“The ship used the very similar mascot that the second USS Pasadena used — Frumpy the Turtle, drawn by Walt Disney himself. They have a very great relationship with the city and that includes the Pasadena Navy League, the USS Pasadena Foundation and the Rotary Club,” said Davies.

During the sub’s construction at the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics in Groton, Conn., the crew adopted a North American Snapping Turtle as a mascot. The turtle actually rode the submarine into the Thames River during its launching.

By the time construction was over, the turtle, named Frumpy, which originally fit into the palm of a hand, was over 18 inches long, forcing the crew to find a new home. Cal Poly in Pasadena proved a willing host. To get him to his new abode, two crew members, both pilots, flew the turtle in a private aircraft from Groton to Pasadena.

According to a press release, The USS Pasadena Foundation works to extend world famous Pasadena hospitality to the crew aboard SSN 752 in appreciation of their dedication to the defense of the country and service to the vessel.

“Thanks to the USS Pasadena Foundation, they were able to purchase 60 tickets for crewmen and their wives and children to come out to the Rose Parade in January,” said Davies.

The USS Pasadena is currently on month three of a six month deployment mission in the western Pacific Ocean.

Davies was commissioned in 1991 after graduating with a Bachelor’s of Science in Ocean Engineering from The United States Naval Academy. Following graduation, Captain Davies attended The Pennsylvania State University as part of the Immediate Graduate Education Program and he completed his Masters of Science in Acoustics in 1993.

Davies’ personal awards include the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Meritorious Service Medal (three awards), the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (three awards), and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (three awards).

For more information about the USS Pasadena, visit http://usspasadena.org/