U.S. Navy’s Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Louisville (SSN 724) entered Changwon, South Korea for a port visit during its deployment to the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.
The submarine arrived at the U.S. Fleet Activities Chinhae, the only U.S. Navy Base in Mainland Asia, on December 8.
“Our highly-trained crew is proficient in all core mission capabilities, from anti-submarine warfare and anti-surface ship warfare to intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and precision strike,” said Cmdr. David Cox , commanding officer. “This deployment is of special significance, as we recently observed Louisville’s 30th birthday.”
Previous deployments have earned Louisville numerous decorations and a place in submarine history.
In 1991, Louisville supported operation Desert Storm by travelling more than 14,000 miles to be the first submarine to launch Tomahawk land attack missiles in time of war.
In 2003, Louisville returned to the Red Sea to support operation Iraqi Freedom with another successful Tomahawk strike. Louisville remains one of only two submarines to have executed Tomahawk strikes in two separate conflicts.
Commissioned November 8, 1986, at Naval Submarine Base New London, Connecticut, Louisville is the 35th nuclear-powered attack submarine of the Los Angeles class. Louisville is currently homeported at Hawaii’s Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.