Submarine Jefferson City marooned in Guam amid bizarre deployment

Navy Times — Mon, 17 Nov 2014 13:35:16 -0500

From: Navy Times

By all accounts, it's been a long, strange deployment.

The 140 crew members of the attack submarine Jefferson City waved goodbyes to their families on an overcast day in early spring as they pulled off the pier at Naval Base Point Loma in San Diego. It was April 9, and they planned to return home in October from a "scheduled six-month Western Pacific" cruise, according to a Submarine Squadron 11 press release.

But nothing about this "scheduled" deployment has followed the plan, according to officials, crew members and their families.

The Jefferson City was supposed to "focus on maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts, which help establish conditions for regional stability," according to the squadron's release.

But instead, Jefferson City's crew has spent the past five months stranded in Guam, focused on their own sub's readiness. Deadlines to bring it home or steer it to Pearl Harbor for repairs have come and gone. The limbo continues. And all sides are getting fed up.

"We fully understand the needs of the Navy and that, at times, deployments are extended because of operational commitments," said a Jefferson City spouse, who asked for anonymity to publicly discuss what has been a sensitive issue for the crew. "But it's something totally different to have no idea at all when they might be coming home."

The sub has been docked in Guam since June 21 while it waits for repairs. The crew thought they'd be back in San Diego by the end of August.

As of Nov. 17, the crew has been gone from home more than seven months — 223 days, to be exact — and it has been 149 days since the sub has been at sea.

Neither the crew nor the families in San Diego know exactly when it might end. The latest turn: The sub is to shift its official home port on Nov. 25 from San Diego to Pearl Harbor, which is the nearest location to get the intricate repairs needed to fix the sub.

Navy officials say the sub will most likely leave Guam soon and arrive in Pearl Harbor by the end of November.

"Jefferson City has been in port in Guam since June 21 for various maintenance and repairs," said Cmdr. Brook DeWalt, spokesman for Submarine Force Pacific. "Jefferson City has a very small water leak from a valve internal to the propulsion plant."

DeWalt said the reactor has a water coolant leak that isn't a safety concern and is not putting anyone or the environment at risk because it's contained inside the plant. He also emphasized that officials don't consider the boat to be "stranded" in Guam for the past five months, since it's had the capacity to get underway.

"We do not publicly discuss the specifics of submarine movements in advance, with a few exceptions to accommodate homecoming events with the media, etc.," DeWalt said. "In this instance, we anticipate Jefferson City to arrive in Pearl Harbor in November."

The Navy wasn't even planning to pay the Jefferson City's crew the new Hardship Duty Pay-Tempo, worth up to $495 per month for deployments that stretch past 71/2 months.

But that changed after Navy Times inquired with personnel officials in mid-November.

"The bottom line is that they are still on deployment, even though they are currently at a U.S. base in a U.S. possession," a personnel official told Navy Times, saying that top officials decided to overrule the call initially made by the sub's chain of command.

The word from the boat has been largely unchanged through the ordeal.

"It seemed for a long time we were told we'd know something more 'next week,'" the spouse said. "Then when next week came, we'd again be told the answer would then again come next week. It's been like this all along."

The sub had a leak in the reactor cooling system when it pulled into Guam in June, DeWalt said. What took so long was chasing that leak down. Initially it was thought to be in a cooing coil, but it was later isolated in a valve, after much evaluation.

"Since the leak was small, and I mean extremely small, extensive investigation and instruments was required to identify the actual location of the leak," DeWalt said in a Nov. 14 phone interview. "And once identified, additional time was needed to review repair options."

The reactor isn't the only maintenance issue with which the boat has had to contend. In August, a contract was let to a San Diego company to replace one of the boat's high pressure air compressors and motors. DeWalt confirmed these repairs and added that they also received work on the boat's shaft seals.

"It was clear the boat needed maintenance, and for a while they were telling us the ship would come back to San Diego for repairs, but that never happened," the spouse said. "There was talk she could come on her own power with special permission, and there was also talk she could be towed, but none of those issues have ever been resolved. At least if they have, they've not been communicated to us or the crew."

DeWalt says this issue has been resolved and that the ship "will conduct the transit from Guam to Pearl Harbor under her own power," he said.

Family members were under the impression the deployment had been canceled around July 24. In fact, the spouse's sailor said that due to the changing mission, he thought he would be home by the time school started up. But those days came and went without news about when the sub would leave Guam.

DeWalt said that wasn't the case.

"Jefferson City's deployment was not canceled," he said. "The ship remains on deployment until return to home port — in this particular case, their new home port of Pearl Harbor."

All along, the crew and families have been planning for the ship's return to San Diego, which was slated to be Oct. 28. In mid-October, word came down from the Navy about the ship's future, but it wasn't what they wanted to hear.

"We had a meeting in October, and they told us the ship's home port would be changed to Pearl Harbor, and that she would come home there instead of San Diego," she recalled. "It really hit us out of the blue. There had been discussion before they left on deployment in early April about a home port change to Pearl, but we were told the earliest that would happen would be June 2015."

The Navy had tentatively planned to shift the sub's home port to Pearl Harbor on April 30, 2015, nearly six months after the ship's expected return date of Oct. 28.

Instead, officials decided to make the shift's official date Nov. 25, just weeks away. The Navy made the home port change announcement Nov. 7.

"The Navy has officially announced the change of home port for USS Jefferson City from San Diego to Pearl Harbor," Submarine Squadron 11 announced on its official Facebook page. "Change of home port orders are expected to be available on Thursday, November 13. These orders will allow eligible families to start planning their household good moves and privately owned vehicle shipment."

Instead of the sub returning to the families, the families will be returning to the sub.

The only official explanation for this bizarre turn of events — before Navy Times asked officials for answers — was a note buried in an official slideshow for the families, on a page titled, "How did we get here?"

"From July - September, 2014: Organizational Change Request was delayed due to ongoing discussions with high-level Navy entities as a result of the boat's condition," the slide said.

"Jefferson City was already scheduled to shift home port to Pearl Harbor in 2015 to conduct an extended overhaul which required dry docking," DeWalt said. "While this repair does not require dry docking, the most efficient repair decision is to incorporate the repair into the scheduled overhaul."

The sudden changes have made it hard for some spouses and crew members alike. The home port shift affects many spouses' jobs and children's education.

"No one has really had any time to prepare for this move," she said. "And especially hard hit will be sailors who aren't married and are collecting single BAH and supporting significant others in San Diego," she said. "Effective Nov. 24, their BAH stops until the Jefferson City arrives in Pearl Harbor — that's going to put a hardship on some of these people."

DeWalt acknowledges the home port change was "accelerated," but he said the Navy decided to move it up because of the additional maintenance the ship would require before its scheduled overhaul.

"An early home port shift allows families to join their sailors in Pearl Harbor while maintenance is conducted on the ship," DeWalt said.

The home port change rule is based in federal law and not Navy policy, so it's unlikely there will be waivers.

When Navy Times began reaching out to officials for comment — the process that brought to light officials' initial determination that the crew didn't qualify for the Hardship Duty Pay-Tempo — the inquiries prompted the sub's ombudsman to send out a gag order to the families.

"There will be articles coming out in newspapers regarding the boat, running next week. Specifically Navy Times," wrote the sub's ombudsman, Kristina Sponseller, according to a copy of the email obtained by Navy Times. "There is a chance that some of you might be contacted for comments."

The email didn't forbid family members from talking to the media — as is their right under federal law and Navy public affairs policy — but it insinuated that family members could face problems.

"We have been asked to refer whoever it is to [Submarine Squadron 11]," she wrote. "We want to avoid any incorrect information, OPSEC issues or putting any of you into an awkward situation with the Navy."

During the week of Nov. 9, Jefferson City was undergoing an operational readiness exercise to see if it will be cleared to get underway.

DeWalt says that it's already been determined the ship will transit to Pearl Harbor under its own power, noting that it's common for ships to undergo training in port, even while on deployment, and that training on board the ship didn't stop, even though the ship was dockside in Guam.

As of November, the dry dock spot was taken up by another Los Angeles-class sub. The Asheville is in the dry dock and has had its overhaul extended, so it's not clear when the Jefferson City will be able to get repaired.

http://www.navytimes.com/story/military/tech/2014/11/16/jefferson-city-stranded-navy-guam-homeport-change-home-port/18964031/

Response by PO3 Brendan "Smitty" Smith made Nov 17 at 2014 1:55 PM

PO3 Brendan "Smitty" Smith — Mon, 17 Nov 2014 13:55:47 -0500

I got halfway through and had to stop reading. It's not stranded because it could get underway. Yeah, right. So, why hasn't it? Because of that not a safety concern leak in the nuclear f'n reactor I'm willing to bet. Man, who ever is charge of this flustercluck needs to get a case of act right real quick and get this boat fixed and these sailors home. Bloody stupid.

Response by SGT Ben Keen made Nov 17 at 2014 2:27 PM

SGT Ben Keen — Mon, 17 Nov 2014 14:27:12 -0500

I was doing some research about this and found an updated photo of the crew...

Response by 1LT Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 17 at 2014 8:41 PM

1LT Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 17 Nov 2014 20:41:28 -0500

Navy Times. I'm sorry . . . what is wrong with the ship ( boat ? ) . . . the raised red welts on the front make me suspect chicken pox . . . but do submarines get chicken pox??? Why are there so many people standing around on top? I haven't seen that many sailors go topside since The Hunt for Red October. Warmest Regards, Sandy

The USS Jefferson City is only 110.3 m long x 10 m diameter . . . why not haul into an LSD to ship it home?

Response by SFC Mark Merino made Nov 17 at 2014 8:49 PM

SFC Mark Merino — Mon, 17 Nov 2014 20:49:41 -0500

In the Army, you would be surprised how many helicopters ran into mechanical difficulties flying out towards NTC and how very few problems during the trip home. Did Billy "break the boat?"....lol. At least they got some visibility on getting their "Hardship Duty Pay-Tempo, worth up to $495 per month for deployments that stretch past 71/2 months".

Response by LT Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 17 at 2014 8:58 PM

LT Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 17 Nov 2014 20:58:26 -0500

As a recovering Navy nuclear operator I can say that ANY work on the reactor portion of a reactor plant is ridiculously political, expensive, slow and controlled and even though there are subs stationed in Guam, there are not necessarily all the required facilities available for the work. Obviously, not knowing specifics or being able to talk about them if I did leaves a lot to the imagination and a lot better explanation to be desired!

Response by Cpl Dennis F. made Nov 17 at 2014 9:10 PM

Cpl Dennis F. — Mon, 17 Nov 2014 21:10:57 -0500

I cannot remember when was the last time I read so dam many words to say exactly NOTHING. What a waste of time reading this was. Where is she going? She's going nowhere!

Response by SFC Mark Merino made Nov 18 at 2014 4:26 AM

SFC Mark Merino — Tue, 18 Nov 2014 04:26:03 -0500

"We're going to need a BETTER boat."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gciFoEbOA8

jaws clip: "You're going to need a bigger boat"

no discription necissary

Response by MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca made Nov 18 at 2014 6:10 AM

MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca — Tue, 18 Nov 2014 06:10:24 -0500

Even in the Navy apparently sh!t happens. SGT Ben Keen, that was THE first thing I thought of as the theme song started running through my head. Good call!

Response by MSG Brad Sand made Nov 18 at 2014 12:49 PM

MSG Brad Sand — Tue, 18 Nov 2014 12:49:11 -0500

Well, it actually sounds like Guam is its new home port?

Response by MSG Brad Sand made Nov 18 at 2014 12:48 PM

MSG Brad Sand — Tue, 18 Nov 2014 12:48:37 -0500

Okay, is this an attack sub or are they getting ready to try and bring back the show 'The Last Resort'?

Response by SCPO Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 18 at 2014 3:43 PM

SCPO Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 18 Nov 2014 15:43:35 -0500

This article completely and utterly pisses me off. The amount of misinformation given as to why they were stuck amazes me. This boat was stuck due to a nuclear item having a major issue, and as LT Private RallyPoint Member stated, the amount of politics that goes into ANYTHING that occurs aft of the water-tight door would amaze even the most senior member on this site. Guam is far from capable of handling a major problem, and 90% of the time a boat has an issue, they are sent here to Pearl for a dry-docking. One of the comments I read yesterday was asking why they couldn't put them into a dry dock with another boat there. I have done this once, and frankly wouldn't want to do it again. Plus, if they dock behind the other boat and are there longer than anticipated, it could greatly impact the schedule of that boat and them getting water-borne again.

Also, the USS Jefferson City is no longer in Guam. They left sometime in the last week or two, I can't remember when it was exactly though. Once they get back to Point Loma where they are stationed, the facilities there will get the proper repairs completed for them.

In all honesty, people need to chill out if they don't know the entire story, which contains a lot of classified information that cannot be released for people to know what truly happened, and let us Submariners do what we do best: Get shit done, and do the best we can with the resources given to us.

Very Respectfully ET1/SS

Response by PO1 Walter Duncan made Nov 18 at 2014 5:23 PM

PO1 Walter Duncan — Tue, 18 Nov 2014 17:23:27 -0500

Wow, love that story. Worse than an old tin can I was on once , we were supposed to do a 6 month Med Tour, but came back just short of the 90 day mark so not considered any kind of Tour. We did all of the preps for the Tour as well. We returned. 3 weeks later we did our scheduled 7 month deployment. We were gone almost 11 of the 12 months that year, without control. Yahoo that's what they do.
It is hard on hard families. Always keep that in mind when joining and getting married. You have no control over your life , your travels or your future. It is extremely frustrating at times, but continue to work as a team and the deployments will end and you will make it through them. Safely.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 18 at 2014 10:50 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 18 Nov 2014 22:50:59 -0500

I'm sorry, I have a difficult time feeling much sympathy for anyone "stuck" in GUAM! Then again, there was that one politician that said Guam was going to tip over.... so maybe it could be scary..