Virginia-class sub finds new home at Pearl Harbor

The Virginia-class submarine USS Illinois, 377 feet of high-tech underwater stealth, arrived at its new home port at Pearl Harbor on Wednesday to waiting families and a high demand for subs in the Asia-Pacific.

Sporting a giant lei of blue and orange — the colors of the University of Illinois “Fighting Illini” — the attack submarine and its crew of more than 130 pulled up to the Sierra 10 pier at Pearl Harbor at 2:30 p.m. after leaving Groton, Conn., passing through the Panama Canal and making no stops along the way.

“We came straight from Groton. Do not pass go. Directly to Pearl,” said the sub’s commanding officer, Cmdr. Neil Steinhagen, after getting off the vessel.

The Illinois was commissioned by former first lady Michelle Obama at Submarine Base New London in Groton on Oct. 29, 2016.

Former Navy Secretary Ray Mabus at the time called the USS Illinois “one of the most technologically advanced platforms in the world.” Pearl Harbor has about 20 Los Angeles- and Virginia-class attack subs — the largest U.S. concentration in the Pacific.

The $2.7 billion Illinois is the fifth Virginia-class submarine at Pearl, along with the USS Hawaii, USS Texas, USS North Carolina and USS Mississippi. The USS Missouri will be the next Virginia sub to be based here. With the addition of the new subs, the Navy is retiring its older Los Angeles-class vessels, which still remain extremely capable.

“I know the 7th Fleet (in the Western Pacific) loves when we send them our submarines,” said Rear Adm. Daryl Caudle, commander of Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet, who was on the pier for the arrival. “They do incredible missions over there against all of the adversaries that they face in those waters.”

Illinois will be part of that capability, “so we’re thrilled to have her here,” Caudle said.

Adm. Harry Harris, commander of U.S. Pacific Command on Oahu, said in April the Navy can meet only 50 percent of his submarine requirements.

“From a joint commander perspective, I need more submarines,” Harris told the House Armed Services Committee.

Harris said the submarine force deals with “the Russian submarine threat, the Chinese submarine threat, and they’re also involved in surveillance missions and other kinds of missions.”

About 230 of the world’s 400 foreign submarines are in the Indo-Asia-Pacific, with about 160 of those belonging to China, Russia and North Korea, Harris said. Potential adversary submarine activity has tripled since 2008, he said.

Virginia-class subs can dive to more than 800 feet and operate at more than 29 mph submerged. The subs have improvements to operate in littoral, or nearshore, environments and can embark special operators in a reconfigurable torpedo room. Traditional periscopes have been replaced by two photonic masts with infrared and digital cameras atop telescoping arms.

Illinois is the first “Block III” Virginia-class submarine in Hawaii with two “six-shooter” 87-inch Virginia payload tubes, each capable of launching six Tomahawk cruise missiles, mounted in the bow in removable canisters. The four other Virginia-class subs in Hawaii have 12 individual 21-inch-diameter vertical launch tubes.

“Virginia class brings a whole different level of capability from its sensor package, to its stealth, to its quieting modifications. All those things just make it the best submarine in the world,” Caudle said.

Courtney Payne was on the pier waiting for her husband, Petty Officer Clint Payne, with their children Garrett, 4 months, and Tanner, 5. The family got to Hawaii on Oct. 17, and he left Oct. 20 to go back to Connecticut to sail with the sub.

The sailor’s wife said “it’s awesome” that the family will be together for Thanksgiving “considering we don’t know a whole lot of people yet.”

Some of the families started moving to Hawaii about four months ago.

“It makes it a little more exciting because you have the holidays here,” said Rebecca Steinhagen, the sub commander’s wife. “We have families who haven’t seen their loved ones in a month or more, so it makes (Thanksgiving) a little more exciting, a little more fun, a little more something to be thankful for.”