{"id":36859,"date":"2018-07-27T02:00:37","date_gmt":"2018-07-27T02:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/07\/27\/navys-longest-serving-sub-heads-into-retirement\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T19:50:55","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T19:50:55","slug":"navys-longest-serving-sub-heads-into-retirement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2018\/07\/27\/navys-longest-serving-sub-heads-into-retirement\/","title":{"rendered":"Navy\u2019s longest-serving sub heads into retirement"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"wp-block-smg-jwplayer-video\"><atype-video-jwplayer nostick=\"true\" playlisturl=\"https:\/\/cdn.jwplayer.com\/v2\/playlists\/fCzRqMW8?tags=8105b1c6-e09e-40ec-a15f-ceb8c78e9484\" poster=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/video-poster-8105b1c6-e09e-40ec-a15f-ceb8c78e9484.png\" aspectratio=\"16 \/ 9\" mute autostart=\"false\"><\/atype-video-jwplayer><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">What&#8217;s it like to crawl inside a torpedo tube? Navy Times reporter Geoff Ziezulewicz heads into the belly of the longest-serving submarine in Navy history.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">PUGET SOUND NAVAL SHIPYARD, Wash. \u2015 When the Navy commissioned the fast-attack submarine <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navytimes.com\/news\/your-navy\/2018\/04\/09\/submarine-bremerton-returns-to-pearl-harbor-for-the-last-time\/\" target=_blank>Bremerton<\/a>, Blondie\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=pHCdS7O248g\" target=_blank>\u201cRapture\u201d<\/a> topped the charts and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=8sKX3tWaOew\" target=_blank>\u201cDallas\u201d<\/a> ruled the TV ratings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It was March 28, 1981, and President Ronald Reagan would survive an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/video\/national\/the-1981-reagan-assassination-attempt\/2016\/07\/27\/f471211c-5402-11e6-b652-315ae5d4d4dd_video.html?utm_term=.861af7344639\" target=_blank>assassination<\/a> attempt a few days later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The old boat now sits at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navytimes.com\/news\/your-navy\/2016\/11\/29\/navy-settles-harassment-lawsuit-by-woman-at-puget-sound-shipyard\/\" target=_blank>Puget Sound Naval Shipyard<\/a>, near her namesake Washington town, never to return to her Hawaiian home port.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Decommissioning and dismantlement are the final taskers for the Bremerton, the longest-serving submarine in Navy history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It sailed more than a million miles underwater while the world above it changed, according to Cmdr. Travis Zettel, the boat\u2019s commander.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Bremerton sounded its first dive alert during the Cold War as the Soviet threat loomed. Later, its mission morphed to support counter-terrorism operations in the wake of 9\/11.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Recent years have seen it pivot alongside the rest of the military to prepare once again for conventional war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Over nearly four decades of service, the Bremerton conducted strike missions, chased foreign subs, interdicted narcotics shipments and performed countless other operations, Zettel said.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2018\/04\/09\/submarine-bremerton-returns-to-pearl-harbor-for-the-last-time\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"181\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/25393042027_8bb4f57fcd_z.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Submarine Bremerton returns to Pearl Harbor for the last time<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The oldest commissioned submarine in the Navy will soon be deactivated.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As the Bremerton rests along a pier,, never to traverse the depths again, Zettel said it\u2019s a bittersweet time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s sad to see a crew that\u2019s ready to go out, ready to go to war, come back pier side,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With the Bremerton eventually slated to be reduced to so much scrap, some crew members were wistful about their mighty boat\u2019s ignominious end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAfter going on deployment \u2026 you become brothers,\u201d said Chief Information Systems Technician-Submarine Xavier Martinez. \u201cSeeing our home being taken apart slowly is kind of emotional.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fire Control Technician (Submarine) 2nd Class Mason Davis said operating the Navy\u2019s oldest sub gave Bremerton\u2019s submariners a unique place in the community, especially compared to his buddies stationed on newer boats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cKnowing I\u2019m on the oldest boat and we still keep this thing going after 37 years is a point of pride for me,\u201d Davis said. \u201cI get to brag a little bit about that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Zettel said an effort is underway to get the boat\u2019s sail turned into some sort of local monument.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere\u2019s a number of people pining after bits and pieces, to keep the Bremerton alive,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A Navy Times tour of the boat found knobs and other innocuous pieces have gone missing as crew members smuggle away mementos from their historic vessel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Perhaps the oldest part on the Bremerton came from another boat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAnnie,\u201d a klaxon that was carried on a World War II-era diesel sub, was used before modern diving alarms arrived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sailors found it in the shipyard while the Bremerton was being built, and it was incorporated into the boat, Zettel said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"4023\" height=\"2792\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Bremerton-2.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-70362\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Bremerton-2.jpg.jpg 4023w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Bremerton-2.jpg.jpg?resize=300,208 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Bremerton-2.jpg.jpg?resize=768,533 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Bremerton-2.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,711 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Bremerton-2.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1066 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Bremerton-2.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1421 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 4023px) 100vw, 4023px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii April 6, 2018) The Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Bremerton (SSN 698) returns to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam following a six-month Western Pacific deployment, April 6. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Daniel Hinton\/ Released)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At one time, crews only engaged Annie when no outsiders were around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But over the years, its distinctive \u201cAWOOGA!\u201d has been blasted long, loud and proud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cToday we embrace Annie,\u201d Zettel said. \u201cIt\u2019s part of the ship\u2019s history.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As the Bremerton\u2019s end nears, Zettel has had to pass on the famed O\u2019Kane cribbage board, which had been part of the Bremerton\u2019s crew since 2011.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">O\u2019Kane\u2019s cribbage board is iconic among Submarine Force Pacific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It once belonged to Rear Adm. Richard O\u2019Kane, who commanded the World War II submarine Tang in the South Pacific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That boat sank scores of Japanese ships and rescued downed American aviators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It fired its final torpedo on Oct. 24 1944, a round that circled. The round back and struck the boat, killing all but nine of the sub\u2019s 87 men, according to O\u2019Kane\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1994\/02\/23\/obituaries\/richard-o-kane-83-us-submarine-hero.html\" target=_blank>New York Times<\/a> obituary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">O\u2019Kane and the other survivors were captured and spent the rest of the war in captivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He later received the Medal of Honor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">O\u2019Kane\u2019s cribbage board fell into the hands of SUBPAC, and it now rides with the oldest sub in the Pacific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So with the Bremerton ending its duty, the board was passed on to the submarine Olympia, which was commissioned in 1984 and now takes the eldest crown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While operating the Bremerton requires some extra TLC, Zettel said upkeep was easier in some ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For one, spare parts aren\u2019t hard to find.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Other Los Angeles-class subs have already been decommissioned, offering the Bremerton\u2019s crew easy access to replacement parts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And after nearly 40 years in service, \u201cbest practices are there\u201d for any fix-it job, Zettel said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The crew is well-versed in repairing broken cogs, capacitors or other components, unlike their peers on more modern boats, where sailors \u201cjust rip out an entire drawer,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s not easy to end the life of a nuclear-powered submarine, and Zettel suspects the Bremerton won\u2019t be officially decommissioned for several years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Workers will need to shut down the reactor and defuel the boat, according to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard spokesman J.C. Mathews.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then they\u2019ll have to remove all classified material, cryptographic gear and refrigerants. They\u2019ll drain the hydraulic system and clean out other fluids. The electrical works will go dark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The reactor compartment will be pulled from the boat, then packaged for shipment and disposal, Mathews said. All the hazardous materials will go, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the end, everything that made the Bremerton so mighty will be stripped away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Scrap metal will be sold to recycling companies, and the submarine will be no more, left to live on in the memories of generations of sailors who served on her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cEverybody understands the gravity of how long this boat\u2019s been commissioned,\u201d Davis said. \u201cI think everybody gets it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The submarine Bremerton entered the ranks back in 1981, where a very different Navy operated in a very different 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By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Navy\u2019s longest-serving sub heads into retirement - Navy Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The submarine Bremerton entered the ranks back in 1981, where a very different Navy operated in a very different world.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Navy\u2019s longest-serving sub heads into retirement\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The submarine Bremerton entered the ranks back in 1981, where a very different Navy operated in a very different world.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" 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