Task & Purpose | April 6, 2025

The U.S. Navy welcomed a new USS Iowa into its service this weekend. The new nuclear submarine, SSN-797, was commissioned on Saturday, April 5, not in Iowa, but at the Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, Connecticut.

The commissioning ceremony — with cold and dreary weather, as many speakers noted —  included its captain, Cmdr. Gregory Coy, and Secretary of the Navy John Phelan, among others. Saturday’s event was Phelan’s first commissioning as secretary. Despite the poor weather, the speakers were cheerful and praised the crews that built the submarine and the submariners that will crew it.

Read Full Story HERE.