USS Miami Repairs To Continue

From the office of Angus King
Doug Mills 
World and National News Editor
RCN America Network

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), and Angus King (I-ME) today announced that the U.S. Navy has informed them that it has identified the funds needed to continue forward with repairs to the USS MIAMI as planned.  This announcement comes as the Navy is considering spending reductions to ship overhauls, maintenance and other programs as a result of sequestration.

The FY 2013 Defense Appropriations bill included $150 million specifically for repairs to the USS MIAMI, which was severely damaged during a fire in May 2012.  That bill was included in the Continuing Resolution that passed the Senate on March 20thand was signed into law.

"As the Navy undergoes the difficult task of implementing budget cuts under sequestration, I am pleased that Secretary Mabus plans to move fully forward with repairs to the USS MIAMI,” Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) said.  “As a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I fought to include $150 million in the Defense Appropriations bill because the USS MIAMI is a significant investment in our national security, and it must return to our fleet as soon as possible. There is no workforce better suited for this task than the talented men and women at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery.”

“This is a welcome announcement from the Navy and represents a serious investment in our national security,” said Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Chair of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness.  “The men and women serving at Portsmouth are the best at what they do and have been providing critical Navy support for almost 200 years. These repairs will allow Portsmouth to continue its long tradition of supporting our military and I look forward to the day that our Shipyard officially delivers USS MIAMI back to the fleet.”

"I applaud the Navy’s decision to complete the repairs on the USS MIAMI,” said Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.  “I've worked with fellow delegation members to ensure the Navy completes these important repairs, and I’m pleased the skilled workers at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard can now finish their work and return this submarine to the fleet—where it will provide a critical capability for our combatant commanders."

“I could not be more pleased by the Navy’s announcement that it is moving forward with repairs of the USS MIAMI despite significant budgetary limitations,” said Senator Angus King (I-ME), a member of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower. “Recognizing the instrumental role the USS MIAMI plays in our submarine fleet, I joined with my colleagues to press for the passage of the Fiscal Year 2013 Defense Appropriations Bill which will help fund its repair – and I know the exceptional men and women of Portsmouth Naval Shipyard will work tirelessly to return the ship to service in first-rate condition as quickly as possible.”

50th Anniversary Of The Sinking Of U.S.S. Thresher

WASHINGTON, D.C. ­– Last night the U.S. Senate passed a resolution commemorating the 50th anniversary of the sinking of U.S.S. Thresher – a U.S. Navy submarine built and based at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. The resolution was introduced by New England Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), Susan Collins (R-ME) and Angus King (I-ME) and passed the Senate by unanimous consent.

The resolution pays tribute to the U.S.S. Thresher’s naval and civilian crew who were lost on April 10, 1963 and “expresses … deepest gratitude to all submariners on ‘eternal patrol’, who are forever bound together by dedicated and honorable service to the United States of America.”

“The loss of the U.S.S. Thresher and its courageous crew was a profound tragedy for the Portsmouth Naval shipyard community, New Hampshire, and the nation.  Fifty years after the death of the Thresher’s 129 crew members, we can say without a doubt that their deaths were not in vain, and their memory endures,” Shaheen said.  “The crew of the U.S.S. Thresher inspired the creation and implementation of the most comprehensive naval submarine safety program in the world.  Their legacy of service and sacrifice are carried not only in our hearts, but in the rigorous steps we now take to protect and safeguard every submarine and crew that enters our waters.”

“The crew of the U.S.S. Thresher made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of our country, and we will never forget them,” Ayotte said.  “We can honor their service and sacrifice by ensuring current and future shipyard workers and submariners have everything they need to safely maintain and operate our nation’s submarine fleet—which is so critical to our nation’s security.”

“The loss of life on U.S.S Thresher was the worst submarine disaster in American history.  Among the 129 lost were several veteran submariners whose service began during World War II and extended into the Cold War, two brothers, and a young husband who had just learned he was to become a father.   Each of the 129 men left behind a grieving family and a hometown in sorrow.  They did not die in vain,” Collins said. “The Thresher disaster directly led to the SUBSAFE program that ensures every submarine in America’s fleet undergoes rigorous testing to safeguard our submariners.  Every safe voyage and every crisis survived since that terrible time is the legacy of the U.S.S Thresher.”

“The painful loss of the U.S.S. Thresher and its valiant crew draped a veil of sadness over the nation on that fateful April day in 1963. Fifty years later, our hearts are still broken by the tragedy and communities in Maine and New Hampshire, united by Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, continue to feel the sorrow of the loss,” King said. “We take solace in knowing that the memory of those 129 brave crewmembers will forever live on and that their sacrifice was not in vain, for it inspired the creation of the SUBSAFE program that protects our submarines and our brave submariners to this day.”

In response to the loss of U.S.S. Thresher, the United States Navy instituted new regulations to ensure the health of the submariners and the safety of the submarines of the United States, which led to the establishment of the Submarine Safety and Quality Assurance program (SUBSAFE).  Now one of the most comprehensive military safety programs in the world, SUBSAFE has kept U.S. submariners safe at sea ever since its implementation.

 The full text of the resolution is below: