By Lt. Ruben H. CastroUSS Wyoming (SSBN 742)Public Affairs OfficerWhen the USS Wyoming (SSBN 742) left Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay for Patrol 45, hurricane season was just beginning and Midshipman summer training operations were coming to a close.between Blue and Gold crews, the Wyoming hosted more than 200 midshipmen, or about a third of all Career Orientation and Training for Midshipmen participants last summer.Additionally, the Gold crew’s underway covered a record-long alert period, the first at-sea Navy Technical Proficiency Inspection in recent history, a Supply Management Inspection and a Tactical Readiness Evaluation.Finally, Wyoming welcomed aboard Lt. Kelly M. Chufo, Ensign Marquette J. Ried and Ensign Karen R. Achtyl to become the first mixed-gender crew in the submarine force.Aug. 28 Hurricane Irene threatened Kings Bay and stopped work on the waterfront as boats readied to sortie. Wyoming got underway on time, though it had effectively lost two weeks of refit to Refresher Training and potential sorties.after a close encounter with Hurricane Katia in the Atlantic Ocean, Wyoming proceeded to the Bahamas Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center range for acoustic trials.While the ship completed sound trials on the acoustic range, 10 chosen members of the crew got to experience a boomer liberty port on sunny Andros Island. they spent four days on the beach with little more to do than sleep and eat.they returned to the ship on a beautiful, sunny day with perfectly calm waters, so the crew took advantage with a swim call in the tongue of the ocean before heading out to the patrol areas.Patrol 45 presented many challenges, but the professionalism and mission focus of the crew allowed Wyoming to remain mission capable and on station during this record long patrol. from repairing the towed buoy antennas, to shutting down the reactor at sea for required repairs, the Wyoming crew demonstrated model self-sufficiency and resourcefulness to achieve the mission.during this long patrol, USS Wyoming successfully completed three major inspections along with multiple assist visits from Naval Submarine Support Center, Squadron 20 and Group 10.The NTPI resulted in no critical or significant deficiencies in nine of 10 areas evaluated. The ship’s top Secret and Communications Security programs were evaluated as part of this inspection and received no discrepancies.The Food Service division was graded as Above Average in the Supply Management Inspection and was complemented by every rider that came aboard and got to enjoy the fantastic cooking.Finally, the Tactical Readiness Evaluation Team was graded At Standards with superb performances in Damage Control, contact management and Strategic Operation — the crew’s primary mission.USS West Virginia (SSBN 736) riders made up a large part of the Wyoming crew this patrol. Along with Lt. Daniel Inbody, the Strategic Weapons Officer from the West Virginia, who was on temporary assignment to Wyoming as Navigator, there were 12 other Sailors riding in order to ensure a three-section watchbill.The Supply Department was evaluated during the SMI as having the best Hazardous Material program on the waterfront, receiving zero discrepancies.  Credit goes to LS2 Matthew Kozuszek for his meticulous handling of all Hazardous Materials material and his training the Repair Part Petty Officers on the proper handling and stowage practices.The attention to detail and creativity of the Culinary Division ensured every aspect of every meal was carefully planned, thus maintaining crew morale throughout the ship. Detailed planning was crucial because of the limited opportunities for resupply during Patrol 45. Wyoming and the crew celebrated Thanksgiving underway and the Culinary Specialist sensured all the fixings of home were present for everyone to enjoy.many crew members thanked the Culinary Specialist because although they were missing their loved ones, they were grateful for the time and dedication in making an excellent meal for everyone to enjoy. their quality of service and dedication to the crew was apparent during the SMI and throughout the entire patrol.in the spirit of Vice Adm. John Richardson and Rear Adm. James Caldwell’s Design for Undersea Warfare, Wyoming continuously showed self sufficiency by conducting unassisted repairs to the ship and maintaining miss ready.The engineering department, led by the Engineer, Lt. Cmdr. Kevin Moeller, conducted an unprecedented five reactor shutdowns at sea to achieve complex repairs and subsequent retests. Reactor Control division set the standard with its tenacity and system expertise to make the repairs flawlessly.having fresh water is important to everyone, but having fresh water while underway is an important requirement in order to complete the mission, and Machinery Division completely understands this and takes pride on ensuring this was not a problem while underway.when the ship’s distilling unit developed a leak, machinery division utilized training from the basic submarine damage control courses to maintain the ship’s main water supply fully operational. The rapid response and resourcefulness displayed by machinery division allowed the ship to complete one of the longest strategic patrols in recent history, making nearly 500,000 gallons of fresh water.Auxiliary Division spent the majority of the refit rebuilding the no. 2 Electrolytic Oxygen Generator from nearly the ground up. It is because of the Sailors’ hard work and can-do attitude that the ship returned to port with two fully functional EOGs.Additionally, multiple repairs to the High Pressure Air Compressors, to include a weld repair to a failed bracket, ensured that the ship maintained a supply of high-pressure air for systems vital to the ship’s strategic mission. The ship is returning to port with three operational HPACs. Ingenuity was apparent with the failure of the trash compactor ram early in the alert period. It was through some careful thought and simple design, that a safety bracket was made to allow individuals to safely load the compactor without personnel risk, despite the failing hydraulic ram. The habitability of the ship for all personnel was maintained. that was something you cannot teach in A-School.The Electrical Division’s finely tuned ear honed into an abnormal rattle from a switchboard which was determined to be a failed contact in a condensate pump controller. The fix required expert knowledge of electrical safety requirements and tenacity to replace the relay, but the job was done with first time quality.Additionally, failures in the main condensate hotwell level control system required electrical division to call on its expertise to replace a series of failed amplifier units, thereby maximizing the ship’s propulsion capabilities. An aggressive sound monitoring program set the standard for the rest of the fleet to emulate. The identification and repair of sound discrepancies, resulting in sound transients to the hull, have made the ship nearly undetectable by friend or foe.during the TRE, the last inspection prior to returning to port after 95 days, Wyoming was informed that it would have to cover for another boat requiring emergent repairs and assume mod-alert coverage. Always ready for the mission, the attitude of the crew remained upbeat and positive. One TRE inspector spoke with the Supply Officer, Lt. Ruben Castro and emphasized how impressed he was by the crew’s heart, passion and dedication, even after finding out they were going to be extended with no return date know.The crew was glad to be home to enjoy some well-deserved time off with loved ones during the holidays before returning to its training cycle and readying for Patrol 47. Wyoming’s 100-day Patrol will not be soon forgotten.

USS Wyoming’s milestone patrol