The fifth named vessel for the Gem State, the USS Idaho nuclear submarine, was commissioned into service this weekend at a ceremony at Submarine Base New London, Connecticut. Featured speakers included Idaho Gov. Brad Little, Congressman Mike Simpson (R-Idaho), Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), and many of the naval leaders who will have command of the new sub.
Gov. Little joked with the audience that while Connecticut’s place in maritime is obvious, Idaho’s needs more explaining.
"During World War II, camp Farragut (Bayview, ID) was the second-largest naval training facility. More than 300,000 sailors underwent basic training. Today's modern nuclear navy, the envy of the world, was conceived and advanced in Idaho. The stealth capabilities have been honed in Idaho. Today, we gather to commission the USS Idaho, a remarkable vessel built with precision, powered by innovation and entrusted with an important mission. As impressive as this submarine is, it's the men and women who serve aboard her that will truly give this submarine purpose to the crew of the USS Idaho."
Saturday’s ceremony was the culmination of years of fundraising and organizing. Behind that effort was the USS Idaho Committee, which includes former Nampa Mayor and Canyon County Commissioner, Tom Dale, who also served in the U.S. Navy. Dale was at the ceremony, and spoke with Troy Oppie about it Sunday, but they started with his remembrance of former Idaho Governor Dirk Kempthorne, who died on Friday. Kempthorne was instrumental in the efforts to get the Navy’s new vessel named the USS Idaho.
Read the full transcript below:
Tom Dale: "Well, one of the greatest memories of Dirk Kempthorne is that every time he met you, you felt like his best friend. Um, he knew your name. He knew what you did, and he knew about you. And he made you feel like you were just his best friend. Every time. And, you know, we worked together during my time in public office, but also he was he was the head of our our corporate fundraising effort here for the USS Idaho. So I got to work with him on this. As we travel the state and did different things together. He was a champion for the USS Idaho."
Host: And there’s a space on board the USS Idaho named in honor of the former Governor and Secretary of the interior. So Tom, describe the scene from Connecticut on Saturday
TD: "I think there was around 2,000 chairs set up on the pier, all waiting for the special guests to arrive, which included the congressional delegation, the acting secretary of the Navy, and of course, the crew. When the crew came on, it was just stirring, and thrilling. The ceremony begins with the national anthem, of course, which is played by the Navy band, which I was a member of the Navy band 50 years ago [laughs]. It was just thrilling to do that. So then we had several speakers that talked about the connection with the submarine and the state of Idaho and the history. It was disappointing because Dirk Kempthorne of course, was not here, but Jim Risch, Senator Jim Risch, did a great job of reading Dirk's words to the crowd."
[applause fades in]
RISCH: "Anyone who steps aboard USS Idaho is immediately immersed into the great state. Throughout the ship are scenes of Idaho. All of this is the careful and meticulous work of Captain Richard Colburn, Chairman of the Commissioning Committee and his devoted team of over 100 members, many of whom are proud submariners from admirals to enlisted veterans, an outstanding group of Idaho patriots."
TD: "And it was just it was very emotional for me. It gave me goosebumps several, several times during the whole ceremony, just to know that this was something that Dirk had worked for so long. And I've been on this commission for six years, this committee, and this was the pinnacle for which we were all working. And to see it come across so beautifully was just very gratifying. And of course, the ceremony concluded with an incredible flight of four Idaho National Guard A-10's coming right over us."
Host: As a navy veteran, what do you think the naming of a vessel means for the men and women who serve aboard them?
TD: "Well, to different states, I think it means different things. For the state of Idaho, and this is what this is what I learned from other submariners who have been through some of these commissionings, and other ships. The state of Idaho has a special place in the heart of the Navy because of its connection with the nuclear Navy and because of its connection with with Farragut boot camp during World War two. And and the research and development for the acoustical side of the submarines up in Lake Ponderay. The whole state of Idaho is involved in the Navy. And for a for a sailor to understand that the state of Idaho supports them and backs them is incredibly important, I think. And those those sailors who we brought out to the state of Idaho to create a relationship, express that very, very genuinely and we could see it in their faces, they said, we've never seen we've never seen a state adopt a submarine namesake as as completely as what the state of Idaho has done."
Host: Tom Dale is a US Navy veteran, former mayor of Nampa and Canyon County Commissioner, and southwest Idaho regional chair of the USS Idaho commissioning committee. Thanks for sharing a bit about your experience at Saturday’s ceremony with us, Tom.
TD: "I want to say this before we go, though: this was an entire state teamwork effort led by retired captain Richard Colburn, who brought people from all corners of the state of Idaho together to make this happen. It was an incredible, incredible team effort to bring it off. It was a thrilling experience. It's a once in a lifetime, something that I will treasure the rest of my life."
Editor's note: host Troy Oppie and guest Tom Dale are both trombone players together in a local band.
