More than 500 Iowans have already requested tickets from the U.S. Navy to witness the commissioning of the nation’s newest submarine — named for the state of Iowa.
Mat Tanner, a retired Navy Chief submariner and executive director of the USS Iowa Commissioning Committee, says former Iowa First Lady Christie Vilsack is the sub’s sponsor and she’ll preside over the event, scheduled for April 5th at the Naval Submarine Base in Groton, Connecticut.
“She’s going to get up there in front of everybody and bless the boat, have the crew man the rails for the first time, and they’re going to drop the commissioning pennant,” Tanner says. “It’s a traditional Navy ceremony. They’ll do a 21-gun salute. The navigator will get a spy class presented by one of our sub vets. It’s going to be a good day.”
Officials say the $3-billion dollar submarine will have a crew of 120 enlisted personnel and 14 officers. The nuclear-powered Iowa is 377-feet long and was delivered to the U.S. Navy in late December. It’s continuing to be put through its paces before it’ll be ready for missions, which may take it virtually anyplace in the world.
“She’s going to go out and do some additional sea trials and testing for the Navy, and then she’s going to going to be out to sea for a couple months doing her thing,” Tanner says. “Can’t really go into detail about that, but she’s going to be out there doing what submarines do.”
Prior to the commissioning, there will be dinners and receptions where Iowans can meet the crew. During the event where the warship “comes alive” in April, Tanner says there won’t be a bottle of champagne smashed on the bow, as that was done by Mrs. Vilsack at the christening event in June of 2023.
The pier can accommodate about 1,800 people for the commissioning ceremony, and Tanner says those attending will include members of Submarine Veterans of Iowa and other veterans groups, officials with the Battleship Iowa, government officials, and members of the general public. There’s another option if you can’t make the trip to Connecticut.
“They’re going to be doing watch parties from Iowa and multiple locations throughout the state,” he says. “So we’re going to do a live broadcast from out here and anybody that’s in Iowa that cannot make it, there will be watch parties available and they can attend those.”
Tickets to the commissioning are free and must be ordered through SSN797.com. The submarine will become the fourth U.S. Navy vessel in history to be named after the state of Iowa.