Nuke submarine West Virginia refueling in Va. - Navy News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Navy Times

Nuke submarine West Virginia refueling in Va.

The ballistic-missile submarine West Virginia has officially reached middle age.

After 20 years of strategic patrols, the Kings Bay, Ga.-based boat requires an overhaul and nuclear refueling to extend its operational life another two decades.

Submarines are normally rotated between two separate crews, known by the colors blue and gold, but to get through this once-in-a-ship’s-lifetime maintenance, the two crews are collapsed into one. For this “Green Crew,” the two-year refueling will entail challenges such as a homeport shift and updated systems to master, as well as the opportunity to pursue personal goals, from warfare pins to bachelor’s degrees.

The overhaul will begin in early 2011 at Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Va. To prepare, Blue Crew skipper Cmdr. Mike Katahara transferred sole command Sept. 17 to Gold Crew CO Cmdr. Steven Hall. The combined crew numbers 280 now, but will drop to around 190 at the start of the overhaul.

The selection of the Green Crew largely came down to projected rotation dates, Hall said in a telephone interview. “We kept the guys who had not been aboard as long and would be with the ship for more time.”

Those still aboard will take the ship into dry dock. The shipyard will have to cut through the hull to remove the expended core, whose fuel is now highly radioactive, and install a new core — an arduous process that normally happens only once during a ship’s service.

One of the most significant changes coming during the overhaul may not have anything to do with the shipyard. Since West Virginia doesn’t need any berthing changes to take women onboard, Hall said that it is “very possible” female submariners would arrive toward the end of the two-year shipyard period.

However, the largest challenge of the entire period will likely be the homeport shift from Kings Bay to Norfolk, which requires extensive coordination, as the crew will be spread among schoolhouses, the shipyard and other subs. The hardest part may be ensuring that all these crew members locate adequate housing in a new area, Hall said.

One sailor moving back to Norfolk is Senior Chief Missile Technician (SS) Mike Swallom, who recently moved his family from Virginia to Georgia as part of the orders he took to the boat late last year. He’s moved them right back so his daughter can graduate from the same high school.

“I knew I would have to move, I just didn’t know when exactly,” the 20-year veteran said. Swallom said one of the best things about the two-year overhaul will be finishing his bachelor’s degree, which he’s 15 credits shy of completing.

“It’s about 10 years in coming. I’m at the point now where I need to get hot and finish it before they revoke the rest of the credits I’ve started,” he said with a laugh.