US fast-attack submarine docks at Subic Bay
A VIRGINIA-CLASS fast-attack submarine of the US Navy arrived in Subic Bay last Tuesday as part of the Indo-Asia-Pacific deployment, the US Embassy in Manila said on Thursday.
US Navy ships have stopped over Subic Bay in recent months. The USS Texas, one of the most technologically advanced submarines in the world, is the first visitor for 2016.
“Texas conducts a multitude of missions to enhance proficiency of the submarine fleet. It is the second Virginia-class fast-attack submarine commissioned by the US and is operated by some of the Navy’s finest and most well-trained officers and enlisted personnel,” the embassy said.
Master Chief Machinist’s Daniel Kloepfer, Texas’s chief of the boat said “maintaining a forward-deployed nuclear submarine is not an easy task and Subic Bay will allow for some much deserved rest for the crew.”
Texas measures 377 feet long and weighs more than 7,800 tons when submerged. It is capable of executing missions including anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface ship warfare, strike, surveillance and reconnaissance, irregular warfare, mine warfare and shallow water operations. FM
