The San Diego-based Los Angeles-class submarine USS Topeka (SSN 754) will adopt Naval Base Guam as its new homeport, the U.S. Navy said yesterday.
The decision comes as the U.S.Navy strives for rejuvenation of its forward-deployed fleet with more advanced and capable units, making USS Topeka the fourth Los Angeles-class submarine to be dispatched to Guam.
Topeka will move to Guam upon completion of her Engineered Overhaul at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNSY), Portsmouth, N.H. where she arrived in December 2012. As announced by the U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Ashton B. Carter last year, the deployment of a fourth submarine to Guam will occur in fiscal 2015, which begins in September this year.
Topeka underwent a major availability consisting of various maintenance projects and system upgrades making her the most updated and capable ship of the class.
Submarine Squadron 15 station at Naval Base Guam consists of three Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarines – USS Oklahoma City, USS Key West and USS Chicago and submarine tender USS Frank Cable.
[mappress] Naval Today Staff, February 11, 2014; Image: US Navy