On Thursday March 17 Bowfin Pearl Harbor Base Subvets (Paul Jurcsak, Brett Kulbis, Dan Del Monte, and Karl Dye), welcomed the Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS Minnesota (SSN 783) as it made its homecoming arrival to Pearl Harbor after completing a change of homeport from Groton.

USS Minnesota Arrives at Pearl Harbor

Story by Petty Officer 1st Class Michael B Zingaro, Commander, Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet PAO

The Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS Minnesota (SSN 783) arrived at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam following a change of homeport from Groton, Connecticut, Mar. 16.

“[The crew of] Minnesota is excited to arrive in beautiful Pearl Harbor and add support to the Pacific theater,” said Cmdr. Brad Bozin, Minnesota’s commanding officer. “We are thrilled to become part of the rich history of warfighters and camaraderie of the Pacific Fleet. The crew recently completed a seven-month deployment and exceeded all of my expectations; I look forward to bringing this success to the Pacific.”

Minnesota is the sixth Virginia-class fast-attack submarine stationed at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam and is assigned to Submarine Squadron 1.

“I humbly and enthusiastically, on behalf of the Peal Harbor ohana, with the warmth, culture and spirit, truly unique to the state of Hawaii, welcome the officers and crew of the good ship Minnesota,” said Capt. Melvin Smith, commodore, Submarine Squadron 1. “The 783 team, affectionately known as the Vikings, an enduring title attached to the storied history of the namesake state, is a welcome sight. With the tensions in the world, and the challenges that they represent to our national security and way of life, all that claim respite in the Pacific AOR [area of operation] should sleep easier knowing that the 783 is here, shouldering its portion of the mantel to defend us, facing down adversity and threats with the relentless power from the north.”

Since Minnesota’s delivery to Groton in 2016, the submarine completed three deployments and participated in numerous exercises and certifications. Minnesota earned the 2019 Battenberg Cup (best ship in the Atlantic Fleet) along with multiple Commander, Submarine Squadron 4 Battle Efficiency and departmental awards. Minnesota recently completed the first interoperability exercise with the Columbian Navy in the Caribbean Sea.

“We were able to stress the importance of maintaining our deployment warfare readiness based on the potential to be called upon to respond to world events at any time,” said Bozin. “First and foremost, we had to ensure all Sailors were ready to move their homes and the ship to Pearl Harbor so they could focus on battle readiness and not personal issues. Once the Sailors were taken care of, my team was able to develop our training plan to maintain battle readiness.”

Commissioned Sep. 7, 2013, Minnesota is the third U.S. Navy ship to share the name of the North Star State. Minnesota is more than 377 feet long and can displace nearly 7,800 tons. Minnesota has a crew of approximately 140 Sailors. Minnesota is capable of supporting various missions, including anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface ship warfare, strike warfare, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance.

Photo Album

122nd Submarine Birthday Ball Message

122nd Submarine Birthday Video from RADM Jablon and FORCM Avin.

On Friday April 29th, Commander Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet will host the Enlisted Submarine Birthday Ball.

On Saturday April 30th, Commander Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet will host the Officer Submarine Birthday Ball.

This will be the first birthday ball since April 2019.

Subvets interested in attending contact Bowfin Secretary Brett Kulbis at bkulbis@gmail.com.

Stay tuned for more details!

At our monthly meeting on March 4th, we had a special guest speaker, Ms. Linda Herman a Pre-Planning Advisor from Hawaiian Memorial Park.

Linda gave those present and via zoom a presentation on “The Benefits of Planning Your Funeral or Cremation Ceremony Today.”

It was a great presentation and you can view it HERE.

If interested you can contact Linda at Office (808) 233-4400 or via email linda.herman@dignitymemorial.com.

Dignity Memorial

OUR MISSION
We help create remembrances that reflect the unique values, character and traditions of the families we serve. That is our passion, that is our purpose, that is our promise. Guaranteed.

From all of us to each of you, we wish you a Hauʻoli Lā Hānau!

John C. Brandes
James F. Caldwell Jr.
Raymond E. Engle
Christopher C. Gaines
Paul T. Jurcsak
Roderick Riessen
Michael Rodriguez
Jeffrey M. Snider
Timothy Sparks
Richard S. Taltavall
Robert W. Wasson

2022 is an Election Year. The Following National Officer Positions and Requirements for Office Are Available: SECOND CALL FOR NOMINATIONS.

National Commander: Nominees for National Commander must have completed at least two years as a voting member of the Board of Directors by the time they take office as National Commander.

National Senior Vice Commander:  Nominees for Senior Vice-Commander must have completed at least two years as a Member of the Board of Directors and must certify that they have or will develop a working familiarity of the USSVI bookkeeping software (QuickBooks).

National Junior Vice Commander: Nominees for Junior Vice-Commander must have completed at least two years as a Member of the Board of Directors.

National Treasurer: Must be a Regular member in good standing and Nominees for National Treasurer must have some experience in bookkeeping, certify that they have, or will develop a working knowledge of the USSVI approved bookkeeping software (QuickBooks), use the USSVI approved software as part of his/her duties as National Treasurer, and cannot change to another software package without the Board of Director’s approval.

National Secretary: Must be a Regular member in good standing.

Regional Director: Must be a member in good standing of a Base within the Region. The Nominee must be currently serving or has served as a Regional Director, District Commander or Base Officer.

Note: All nominations must be sent to the Nominations Committee Chairman on or before March 1st, 2022.  The nomination is accompanied by a letter from the Nominee indicating his willingness to accept the nomination and willingness to serve if elected. The Nomination Letter includes details of the nominee’s qualifications in less than one hundred (100) words.

The 2022 Nominations Committee Chairman is IPNC John E. Markiewicz, e-mail is markiewiczjohn4@gmail.com.

Shipmates, The USSVI Western Region Roundup which is scheduled for April 25 – 29 2022 at the Silver Legacy Resort and Casino, in Reno, Nevada has added two new events. A Submarine Movie Night and a Western Line Dancing Instruction session.  Our online Registration and Payment system makes short work of the process. Register Online Today.

We are also looking for Bases and individuals to help us by Sponsoring the event. For a $50 Sponsor Fee we feature your Base logo on our website and print it on the Swag Bags. Become a Sponsor.

As always, the goal of the Roundup is to provide a way for all Submariners to gather for their mutual benefit and enjoyment. We look forward to seeing you there.

Registration for this year’s National Convention in Buffalo at the Hyatt Regency Buffalo, Two Fountain Plaza, Buffalo, New York, 14202 is NOW OPEN! We have a group rate of $119.00 per night per room. The cut-off date for the Room Block is July 31, 2022. Reservations made after this date may be made at the Convention rate based on room availability.

This year’s registration will be a little different than in the past. You may go directly to the National Convention website, ussviconvention.org/2022/ and click on the convention registration button, instead of going to a pdf as in the past, you will go to a new page that will allow you to complete your reservation online and pay by credit card, PayPal or check.

The “landing page” will give you information concerning the convention and Covid and identification protocols for entry into Canada. Please be sure to read this information.

There are two simple pages to enter information on. On the first page is the events/dinners/tours you want to go to and the number that will attend. On the second page you will fill out all of your personal information, emergency contact and select entrée for the awards banquet and size for your souvenir T-shirt if you selected that option.

You will then have the option of paying with a credit card now or by mailing in a check.

You will be able to immediately print out your itinerary and it will also be sent directly to your email.