It’s Navy Week in Boise, an event designed to bring the Navy to places that don’t have a port and don’t get a lot of contact with this segment of the Armed Forces.
Every year since 2005, the Navy has picked a small number of cities for Navy Week. This year, fifteen cities have the honor, including Dayton, Des Moines and Boise.
Sailors are in town to show off their skills. That includes sailors from the city’s namesake, the USS Boise.
Los Angeles-class fast attack submarines, like the Boise, were designed at the height of the Cold War. Over 350 feet long, these high-tech giants can cruise beneath the ocean’s surface for months at a time, running on an almost endless supply of nuclear power.
Lieutenant Commander Mark Allen is the Executive Officer aboard the USS Boise. He says the submarine has close ties to its namesake city, including a warm relationship with former Idaho Governor Dirk Kempthorne.
He says the subs, or “boats,” were originally intended to hunt other submarines. But he says they’re highly adaptable and their mission has changed over time.
As part of Navy Week, an admiral and five Navy bands are also in town.
The musicians will play four concerts around the city, from the library at Cole and Ustick to the Village in Meridian to the Western Idaho Fair. Some of the USS Boise sailors will visit kids at St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital Thursday.
The Navy's Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team will be at the Western Idaho Fair all week, with a robot display.
Allen says everyone in the city has been helpful, polite and welcoming to create a “cool experience,” in Boise.
Find Samantha Wright on Twitter @samwrightradio
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