Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class STEVEN HOSKINS | 181020-N-LW591-027 Groton, Conn. (Oct. 20, 2018) Vice. Adm. Charles "Chas" Richard,...... read more read more
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By Chief Mass Communication Specialist Monique K. Meeks
Naval Submarine Support Center, New London, Public Affairs
GROTON, Connecticut – The Los Angeles-class, nuclear-powered, fast-attack submarine, USS Hartford (SSN 768), was presented the 2017 Battenberg Cup Award in a pier-side ceremony at Naval Submarine Base New London, Oct. 20.
Vice Adm. Chas Richard, Commander, Submarine Forces, on behalf of Adm. Chris Grady, Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces, presented the award to Hartford’s Commanding Officer, Cmdr. Matthew Fanning, and his crew. Hartford was selected as the “Best All-Around Ship in the Atlantic Fleet” based on outstanding crew achievements and an exceptional level of operational effectiveness.
“It feels good to bring this trophy back to the Submarine Force for the fifth time in its history, which goes back over 100 years,” said Fanning. “It shows that any crew, large or small, can make a difference.”
Richard told the crew how honored he was to have the opportunity to present the award to them, joking that Admiral Grady desperately wanted to give them the award himself, but apparently they were never in port!
During her numerous operational commitments, Hartford went above and beyond, outperforming peers and achieving success in operational excellence, engineering readiness, and personnel metrics, while at the forefront during an extensive deployment in the European Command theater in 2017. Hartford went on to spend the last quarter of 2017 preparing and certifying to support the highly successful 2018 Ice Exercise (ICEX).
“I am very proud of my crew here on Hartford for the work they did to win this award and even more proud of the work they continue to do to prove they are worthy of it,” said Fanning. “There are so many great ships out there, so it was humbling to be recognized as first among them.”
Fanning also thanked the Groton-area supporting commands and Submarine Squadron Twelve for helping Hartford to excel, the crew’s families for their sacrifice, and his Sailors for trusting both him and each other.
While Hartford maintained a high level of operational readiness worthy of the Battenberg Cup Award, it is also worth noting that they had the lowest personnel unplanned loss rate in the Submarine Force, Atlantic. The crew of Hartford also had above average promotion, reenlistment and retention rates in 2017.
“This is a testament to great leadership, a great crew, and the strong families that are here today to support them,” said Richard. “Congratulations, Hartford – You have earned this cup!”
This year’s Battenberg Cup Award presentation was well-timed with a special screening of “Hunter Killer” at the base theater later that afternoon. Some members of the cast and crew of “Hunter Killer”, including actor Gerard Butler and director Donovan Marsh, were in attendance at the presentation of the Battenberg Cup and toured Hartford afterward. They congratulated the crew on their achievements and spent time with them in their various departments on board the submarine.
Commissioned on Dec. 10, 1994, Hartford is the second ship to be named for Hartford, Connecticut. It is 360 feet long with a beam of almost 33 feet and draft of 29 feet.
| Date Taken: | 10.20.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 10.21.2018 14:42 |
| Story ID: | 297167 |
| Location: | GROTON, CONNECTICUT, US |
| Web Views: | 495 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
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