USS IDAHO SSN-799 Featured in Hayden Lake Neighbors Magazine

Thu Aug 3rd, 2023

USS IDAHO SSN-799

By Captain Henry Netzer

Photos by Nelson Sports Media and USS IDAHO Committee

For the first time in nearly 100 years, Idaho will have a naval vessel named after our state. USS IDAHO is under construction as a Virginia-class nuclear powered fast-attack submarine.

For the first time in nearly 100 years, Idaho will have a naval vessel named after our state. USS IDAHO is under construction as a Virginia class nuclear powered fast-attack submarine.

Hi, my name is Henry Netzer. I served as a submarine officer during the Cold War, worked at the Navy’s research base in Bayview, and have been a Hayden resident for more than 30 years. I also serve as chair of the USS IDAHO Commissioning Foundation for the North Idaho region.

With me on the cover is Hayden native, Alan Griffitts, a Coeur d’Alene High School and University of Idaho Graduate who served as a career engineer with the Navy’s quieting laboratories. A former Director of the Bayview Research Base, Alan is an active volunteer with the USS IDAHO Commissioning Foundation.

Together, Alan and I want to provide background on Idaho’s relationship to the Navy, the new submarine and her crew, and the Commissioning Foundation.

Let’s start with Idaho’s link to the Navy: In Hayden, we are familiar with Farragut State Park which is named after Civil War Admiral David Farragut whose famous quotation is “D*mn the Torpedoes, full speed ahead!” Farragut started his service at age 9 during the War of 1812. When he was 11, he was given the assignment of bringing a ship captured by the USS Essex into port. He progressed through the ranks with assignments in the Pacific Ocean, including establishing Mare Island Naval Base (where the submarine I served on, USS Hawkbill SSN-666, was built). He eventually earned full Admiral during the Civil War.

At the outbreak of WWII the Navy sought places to train sailors away from the possibility of attack and established Farragut— 300 miles away from the Pacific Ocean. Housing up to 50,000 people at a time, it was the largest city in Idaho. Nearly 300,000 Navy recruits were trained there.

The 4000-acre former training station is now home to Farragut State Park and the Navy’s Acoustic Research Detachment (ARD). The ARD is the lead test facility for submarine quieting—and has been for more than 50 years. These tests use large scale model submarines to evaluate designs and predict full scale performance. Just imagine the sound difference between a 1960 VW Bug and a 2022 Lexus. For submarines, that is what the ARD contributed. The largest models are over 100 feet long and weighs 200 tons. The hull shape, internal and external designs, and the placement of external devices for the USS IDAHO were developed and evaluated at the ARD.

Southeastern Idaho has a long-standing link with the Navy at the Idaho National Laboratory. In the early 1950s, the very first full-scale prototype nuclear plant for shipboard use, called S1W Prototype, was constructed to test the feasibility of using nuclear power aboard submarines. Later, two more prototype plant facilities, A1W and S5G, were built at the Naval Reactors Facility. The initial reactor design for the USS IDAHO was evaluated at the INL.

The Navy was also present at numerous other facilities in the state including: • The U.S. Naval Proving Ground (1942- 1949) in Arco • Naval Prototype Training Unit (1949 – 1995) in Idaho Falls • Naval ROTC Unit at University of Idaho with Washington State University • U.S. Navy Radio School (1942-1945) at University of Idaho and • U.S. Navy Convalescent Hospital (1943-1946) in Sun Valley

Now for a bit of Naval Trivia: Wonder why vessels are referred to as “she” or “her”? The traditional Navy answer is, “Because it cost so much to keep her in paint and powder.”

Also, why are submarines called boats instead of ships? Again, the tradition (from who knows where) is that if you can put a boat aboard another boat, the boat you put it aboard is a ship.

And, for the record, submarine sailors are sub-ma-REENE-ers, with stress on the third syllable.

Next up, the submarine and her crew: The USS IDAHO is under construction at the General Dynamics Electric Boat shipyard in Groton, Connecticut (EB for short). EB is one of two construction sites for Virginia-class subs.

There are three major milestone events in the life of a naval vessel: Keel laying, Christening (break the bottle and enter the water for the first time), and Commissioning (placed in service). The USS IDAHO’s keel was laid in August 2020 with the boat’s sponsor, Ms. Terry Stackley, welding her initials in the hull steel. The christening ceremony is the first time the USS IDAHO will be in the water.

Although Champagne is the usual bottle broken for this event, Ms. Stackley will christen IDAHO with waters from Lake Pend Oreille, Redfish Lake and Henry’s Fork. The ceremony is planned for late 2023 or early 2024, with the boat’s commissioning approximately a year after that.

Once completed, IDAHO will be 377 feet long with a beam of 34 feet. She’ll be capable of running more than 25 knots and diving more than 800 feet. In addition, she’ll have the ability to carry various payloads of torpedoes, missiles, mines, and other sensors.

The crew is the life of the boat. IDAHO’s pre-commissioning crew is being assigned now. This is an excellent time for the members to learn the construction and operating details of their boat. Fully manned, IDAHO will have 15 officers and a mixed-gender crew of 117 enlisted sailors. Trained on the operation of the sophisticated sensors, the advanced reactor plant, and deployment of weapons, they will participate in sea exercises to gain proficiency is diving, surfacing, sensor employment, maneuvering, and response to casualties.

We are proud to havea sailor from Hayden assigned to the USS IDAHO. Submarine Sonar Technician 3rd Class Robert Boscan is a Coeur d’Alene High School graduate and the grandson of Super One Foods founder, Ron McIntire.

The Honorable Dirk Kempthorne heads the Commissioning Foundation and has gathered senior military and civilian associates to form an advisory board. Focused on making the USS IDAHO Commissioning Foundation the Gold Standard for other crew support committees, our mission is to: (1) Serve as the State’s agent for the planning, preparation, funding and conduct of traditional and celebratory lay down, christening and commissioning activities under the guidelines of the Secretary of the Navy. (2) Plan and conduct a statewide outreach of social, informative and educational activities to create the bond between the people of Idaho and those who serve in defense of our great state and nation on the USS IDAHO. (3) Identify and implement a sustainable program so that the crews of the USS IDAHO, from the first crew to all future crews, see tangible ongoing support from the people of Idaho to the crew and families.

We are excited to announce the visit of several crew members to Northern Idaho is planned for September 2023. For more details, please check out the Foundation’s website: www.ssn799.org.