The 30th anniversary of the commissioning of the USS Greeneville submarine will be celebrated with a reunion of current and former sailors in Greeneville from July 1 to July 5.
Around 70 former sailors will gather in to celebrate the vessel named after Greeneville. Unfortunately, no current sailors will be attending the event due to the submarine being underway on exercises during the reunion weekend.
Sailors will participate in a reunion meet and greet, a community day of service at the Roby Adult Center, Lyrics on the Lawn, a golf tournament, a VFW breakfast and banquet while in Greeneville.
On July 4, the sailors will serve as the Grand Marshals of the Town of Greeneville’s Independence Day Parade.
The USS Greeneville (SSN 772) is a Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine capable of supporting various missions, including anti-submarine warfare, anti-ship warfare, strike warfare and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.
The Greeneville measures more than 360 feet long and weighs more than 6,900 tons when submerged.
It was christened by Second Lady Tipper Gore and launched Sept. 17, 1994. The submarine was then commissioned on Feb. 16, 1996, at Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia.
The submarine’s current home port is Naval Base Point Loma in San Diego, California.
Commander Spencer Ovren assumed command of the USS Greeneville in February.
The USS Greeneville was named after Greeneville after a years-long effort mounted by locals in the late 1980s.
Greeneville Industries Inc. a subsidiary of Newport News Shipbuilding, manufactured some components of the vessel in Greeneville at the time of the ship’s construction.
USS Greeneville Inc., the submarine’s official local support group in Greeneville, has continually supported the submarine’s sailors and their families since its launch. It is also the group organizing the 30th anniversary celebration.
USS Greeneville Inc. President Dale Long said that the community would always stand in support of the submarine and that the organization was excited to welcome sailors to the submarine’s namesake town for the milestone reunion.
“We are so excited to welcome our sailors to Greeneville for the 30th anniversary reunion. Greeneville, Greene County and all of east Tennessee is proud of our submarine, and our sailors. We are grateful for their sacrifice and service, and will always happily stand behind them and support them. This reunion is an example of that support,” Long said. “Whenever USS Greeneville sailors past or present visit Greeneville, we want them to feel like they are at home. We are eager to celebrate 30 years of the best locally-supported submarine in the U.S. Navy.”
