By Stephen Appezzato
MIDDLETOWN – After nearly a decade of planning and construction, the USS New Jersey (SSN-796), a Virginia-class fast-attack submarine, will officially join the U.S. Navy fleet Saturday, Sept. 14. The upcoming commissioning ceremony at Naval Weapons Station Earle marks the moment the submarine “comes to life” and becomes an active part of the Navy’s Submarine Force. This will be the third naval vessel in U.S. history to carry the name of the Garden State, and its commissioning will mark a new chapter in both naval and New Jersey history.
“We’re very excited,” said Peter Engelman, chair of the USS New Jersey’s commissioning committee. “And it’s more than just Saturday – it’s really the entire week.”
The committee organized various events leading up to the commissioning to honor the submarine’s crew and their families and officially welcome the vessel into the naval fleet.
“We’ve been working on putting this together for quite a few years now. It’s amazing that it’s all coming together and everybody’s loving it,” Engelman said.
The commissioning of the USS New Jersey is the final of four key ceremonies that mark the submarine’s journey into active service. According to Engelman, the ceremony signifies the moment the submarine becomes fully operational.
“Around this coming Saturday at noon, this boat will become an official Navy warship,” he explained. “It’s when the ship comes to life.”
The excitement began last Friday when the USS New Jersey arrived in Leonardo, offering a rare opportunity for the public to catch a glimpse of the cutting-edge vessel from North Beach on Sandy Hook. Enthusiastic onlookers gathered to see the submarine as it approached the base, generating anticipation for the upcoming ceremony.
The USS New Jersey is a Virginia-class submarine, the newest class of nuclear-powered vessels in the Navy’s fleet. Powered by an S9G reactor, the submarine is approximately 377 feet long, has a beam of 34 feet and can remain submerged for up to three months. Its weaponry includes Tomahawk cruise missiles and Mark 48 torpedoes, giving it the ability to engage in a range of missions, from clandestine intelligence and surveillance to special operations.
Engelman, a U.S. Navy veteran and submariner who served aboard the USS Seadragon for three and a half years, expressed admiration for the USS New Jersey’s advanced capabilities.
“What’s on this boat is amazing. It’s eight times more quiet than the boat I was on. It’s so much more efficient,” he said. The submarine’s reactor will likely power the vessel for its entire lifespan without the need for refueling, enhancing its operational endurance and reducing the need for logistical support during deployments.
The USS New Jersey is also the first attack submarine designed for a mixed-gender crew.
“It’s a whole different environment. It’s newer, it’s more modern, it’s more technologically advanced, and they have a team of guys and gals all working together. It’s pretty neat,” Engelman said.
The USS New Jersey’s crew is made up of 120 enlisted sailors and 15 officers, led by Commander Steven Halle, who is on his fourth submarine tour. He is supported by Lieutenant Commander Andrew Hutchison and Master Chief Joseph Calhoun. Once the submarine is commissioned, the crew will embark on missions that last several weeks, with a six-month deployment occurring every 18 months. Although the submarine may not always be at sea for the entire duration of these deployments, it will maintain a global military presence, ready to respond to a variety of situations around the world.
Living in a confined space hundreds of feet below sea level sounds daunting. But Engelman recalled life underwater being not as awful as many might think.
“Once you get down under the water, it’s nice and calm and quiet, and you go about your job. You really don’t think about the fact that you’re down there,” he said.
The USS New Jersey was officially named in 2015 at a ceremony held at Liberty State Park by then-Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus.
The ship is the third naval vessel to bear the name. The first USS New Jersey (BB-16) was a battleship commissioned in 1906 that served the Navy until it was decommissioned in 1920 and sunk during bombing tests in 1923. The second USS New Jersey (BB-62) was an Iowa-class battleship commissioned in 1943. This iconic vessel became the most decorated ship in U.S. Navy history, serving in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and operations in the Middle East. It is now a museum ship in Camden.
In 2019, the current USS New Jersey celebrated its keel-laying ceremony, the second milestone in the vessel’s ceremonial journey. While traditional ships have a keel that runs along the bottom, Engelman noted that “submarines don’t have keels,” so the boat’s sponsor initialed a piece of steel instead.
The third milestone came in 2021 with the christening ceremony, when a bottle of champagne is ceremoniously broken on the submarine’s bow, marking the vessel’s “birth.” The commissioning Sept. 14 will complete the submarine’s formal entry into service. In the days leading up to the commissioning, the USS New Jersey Commissioning Committee organized several special events, including a visit by crew members to the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial and Vietnam Era Museum in Holmdel. There, the sailors were greeted by local officials, museum docents and veterans, including Joe Rosato, a Vietnam War Navy veteran who praised the crew’s service.
“There’s nothing more that signifies peace through strength than our submarine service because you guys control the world very quietly,” Rosato said.
While ticket requests are no longer being accepted for the commissioning ceremony, the event will be livestreamed at 10:45 a.m. Saturday, allowing the public to witness this historic occasion. The live stream can be accessed at dvidshub.net/webcast/33459.
As the USS New Jersey prepares to embark, it carries with it the legacy of its predecessors and the pride of New Jersey.
The article originally appeared in the September 12 – September 18, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.
