After its skipper and senior enlisted leader were removed from duty in 2012, the Pearl Harbor attack submarine USS Columbia did a 180-degree course change, improving its operations and conducting a challenging deployment to the western Pacific.
As a result, the sub was awarded the prestigious Arleigh Burke Fleet Trophy as the most improved battle efficiency ship or aviation squadron in the Pacific Fleet.
Adm. Scott Swift, Pacific Fleet commander, presented the trophy for the sub’s improvements over 2014 to the crew during a pier-side ceremony at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam on Monday.
Swift said it was a unique distinction for the crew to win Submarine Squadron 7’s Battle Efficiency Award and the Arleigh Burke trophy during the same time period.
The crew was able to take available but constrained resources and match those with readiness requirements to meet mission needs, Swift said in a Navy-produced news story.
“When faced with challenges, the crew of Columbia rallied together and redoubled their efforts toward the mission, the ship, and the families both on board and at home. These efforts are what kept the ship moving forward,” said Cmdr. David Edgerton, the sub’s commander since May 15.
Edgerton replaced Cmdr. J. Patrick Friedman, who brought the Columbia back to Pearl Harbor in late November from a six-month deployment to the western Pacific, according to the Pacific Fleet Submarine Force.
Little is revealed about the secret undersea duties of submarines, with the Navy saying only that the crew “successfully completed several missions vital to national security” and participated in several multinational exercises. Port stops were made at Sasebo and Yokosuka, Japan, and in Singapore.
The fleet trophy is named after Adm. Arleigh Burke, who distinguished himself during World War II and Korea and made “vital contributions in many key warfare areas including battle efficiency, new tactical concepts, weapon systems and Naval leadership,” the service said.
The award citation states Columbia performed demanding duties in an “exemplary” manner in 2014.
“Demonstrating extraordinary tenacity, Columbia’s crew dramatically improved warfighting readiness throughout 2014,” the citation said. “The across-the-board improvements culminated with the ship’s outstanding Western Pacific deployment to the Seventh Fleet, which was recognized as one of the best deployments in recent history. It included extended operations in the most challenging environments in the world, and it produced deliverables which contributed greatly to the advancement of Seventh Fleet operational and warfighting goals.”
Cmdr. Dennis Klein, who was skipper of the Columbia in 2012, was relieved of duty that year along with the chief of the boat, Master Chief Petty Officer Don Williams, for “shortfalls in professional performance” leading to a loss of confidence in their ability to serve in positions of command authority, the Navy said at the time.
The Columbia is a nuclear-powered sub, christened in 1995 by Hillary Rodham Clinton and the last of the Los Angeles-class submarines. It comes equipped with Tomahawk cruise missiles and its capabilities include anti-submarine and anti-surface-ship warfare and special forces insertions.
