Local residents who have toured the vintage submarine Albacore in Portsmouth, N.H., and marveled at how people live in such confinement, leagues under the sea, now can ask modern submariners how they adapt to long periods in similar conditions.
South Berwick has been named host community for the 150-member crew of the USS Washington while the attack submarine is docked at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery for system upgrades and scheduled maintenance work.
The ship is expected to be in Kittery until the summer of 2027, according to the shipyard’s Office of Public Affairs.
“We are excited to host them and welcome them to our community,” said Town Manager Tim Pellerin.
Already, some USS Washington crew members have signed up to participate in the local Veteran’s Day observance next week. Senior Chief Austin Gilbert will be keynote speaker at the event Monday, Nov.11, at 2 p.m. in the Town Hall auditorium.
Other submariners will join the community’s Home for the Holidays parade Nov. 30, according to a Home for the Holidays spokesperson, and have volunteered to help with tasks supporting the daylong celebration.
The host community program is a collaboration between the designated Seacoast community, chosen by the Navy on a rotating basis, and the submarine crew. Sailors enjoy the community’s hospitality and in turn offer a helping hand when called upon, according to the public affairs office.
York, the most recent community selected, hosted the crew of the USS North Dakota, which arrived at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in April 2023.
Civic groups are encouraged to invite crew members to join a project, tutor in the schools, or participate in holiday events, according to the shipyard statement.
The program allows crew members and their families to experience “the many treasures to be found in the Seacoast area,” it said.
More than 600 women serving in the U.S. Navy are assigned to nuclear-powered ballistic-missile and guided-missile submarines, and 25 of them are members of the USS Washington crew.
They serve in roles including communications officer, quality assurance officer, electrical assistant, assistant engineer, torpedo division leading chief petty officer, and leading yeoman to junior members of all divisions, according to the public affairs office.
The host community does not provide housing for the crew. Some are housed on the shipyard’s complex during the ship’s overhaul, either in enlisted quarters, so-called bachelors’ quarters or family housing.
About 50 crew members have been joined by their families during the assignment, according to the public affairs office. They have the option to reside in family housing on the base or in the local community.
Any civic group wishing to invite the crew to join an event or project may email the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Office of Public Affairs at PORT_PTNH_ASK_PAO@navy.mil. The office will coordinate with the ship’s crew regarding any requests.
