US Navy’s Ohio-class cruise missile submarine USS Florida (SSGN 728) arrived in Naval Support Activity Souda Bay, Greece, for a scheduled port visit on March 14.
While the Kings Bay, Georgia, homeported USS Florida is on a routine deployment in the US 6th Fleet area of operations, it is rare for the US Navy to announce the movement of submarines on deployment.
“My sailors, the young men and women who bring life to the Florida, sacrifice daily and serve quietly to help ensure a strong and free region,” said Capt. Seth Burton, commanding officer of the Florida Gold crew. “After months of dedicated and hard work at sea, they are so excited to experience the hospitality and culture of our Greek allies.”
US Naval Support Activity (NSA) Souda Bay is an operational ashore base that support US, allied, and partner nation ships, submarines, and aircraft.
Florida was commissioned in 1983 as a ballistic-missile submarine and in 2006, became one of the four Ohio-class submarines to be converted into a guided-missile submarine. It is the sixth US Navy ship to be named after the state of Florida.