USS Seawolf Returns To Groton... From WestPac

USS Seawolf (SSN 21) returned to Groton yesterday after a six-month Western Pacific deployment; this is the first time I can remember since probably the 70s that a LANTFLT boat did a complete WestPac and returned to her original homeport. [USS Boise (SSN 764) is apparently doing the same thing right now.] Although I haven't seen any confirmation, it's likely that Seawolf did a circumnavigation of North America during this deployment -- through the Arctic to get there, and through the Panama Canal on the way home. (Of course, they may have done the Arctic route both times; if they did, and they went through the Bering Straits in January, I'd say that's pretty good evidence of global warming.) The New London Day has an article on the homecoming:

Commissioned on Sept. 1, 1997, the Seawolf, which is the lead ship in its class, made ports of call in Japan, Singapore, Guam and Hawaii in its latest deployment.
The fast-attack submarine's Pacific deployment was the first of its kind for any of the three Seawolf-class submarines; other ships in the Seawolf class include the USS Jimmy Carter and the USS Connecticut...
...The Seawolf will now be put on a “surge status” for the next several months where it will be “ready to go at a phone call's notice,” according to Navy spokesman Lt. Mark Jones. Once that period ends, the submarine will undergo an extensive maintenance cycle in preparation for its next deployment.
The Seawolf received above-average marks on its operational reactor safeguards examination, a test that evaluates a crew's performance under a variety of live conditions. The sub also received what is known as a “Battle E” — a decoration the Navy awards annually to one ship per squadron for overall excellence in preparation and training.

I guess by saying "above average marks" then they can skirt the "ORSE grades are classified" requirement. Anyway, welcome home to the officers and crew of the Seawolf -- and if anyone tries to call your ship the "Pierwolf", you have this blog's permission to kick 'em in the nuts.