Keeping the blogosphere posted on the goings on of the world of submarines since late 2004... and mocking and belittling general foolishness wherever it may be found. Idaho's first and foremost submarine blog. (If you don't like something on this blog, please E-mail me; don't call me at home.)

Saturday, August 09, 2008

New Sub Gets New Beer

The USS New Hampshire Commissioning Committee is ramping up operations in preparations for the planned October commissioning of PCU New Hampshire (SSN 778). They've got a web site set up, they're planning to entertain the 100,000 or so people expected in Portsmouth for the ceremony, and now they've made arrangements with a local brewery to produce a special beer for the occasion:
Smuttynose Brewing Co. will release Granite Ghost Ale in early September for a limited run of approximately 18,000 22-ounce bottles that will be available until late October...
...A portion of the proceeds from the beer will go toward the committee's fund-raising efforts, according to Egelston. He also hopes the beer will bring the event to the attention of other parts of New Hampshire.
The name of the beer was chosen by the crew of the submarine. "Granite Ghost" is the public radio handle for the submarine.
"Naming a beer is not an easy thing to do ... and we didn't think it was appropriate for any single person or group to come up with, so it just made logical sense to put it in front of the commander and the crew," said the brewery owner. "And I guess they had a great time doing it."
When I was on USS Connecticut (SSN 22), we had a winemaker make a special run of wine for our christening that was pretty popular; it was even sold in the Mini-Marts. Unfortunately, the wine ended up being part of a controversy when it turned out the maker of the wine was using imported grapes and neglecting to mention that on the label. Hopefully the same thing won't happen to the New Hampshire beer.

Blog Admin note: Expect somewhat light posting for the next couple of weeks, as I'll be busy watching the Olympics. (I did not boycott watching the Opening Ceremony, and thought it was quite good -- especially the Chinese Movable Type performance.) In the meantime, have you checked out Eric's new general interest blog, Decks Awash? Since Eric is the owner/operator of The Sub Report, I'm sure you'll be interested in what he has to say.

Update 1729 09 Sep: Looks like the beer idea won't happen, that's to annoying federal bureaucrats.

9 Comments:

Blogger Unknown said...

Smuttynose is a very reputable Micro Brewery with some of the best beer on the market. I'm jealous....

8/09/2008 11:08 AM

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Olympia Beer - one sip and you're back in the bilge

8/09/2008 5:12 PM

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"Hopefully the same thing won't happen to the New Hampshire beer."

I'll go out on a limb and say that the chance of Smuttynose using imported grapes in the beer is slim to none.

8/09/2008 6:55 PM

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Shipyard Brewery in MAINE did the same thing for the USS MAINE in 1995.

8/10/2008 8:15 AM

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Back in the early 90's I recall there was a "USS San Juan" wine. I never saw it anywhere other than the ship's wardroom

8/11/2008 10:47 AM

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Smuttynose makes a real good beer, will need to venture out and get some Granite Ghost

8/11/2008 4:55 PM

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Virginia-Class Boats Sail Into Action
August 11, 2008
Navy News|by Lt. James Stockman

GROTON, Conn. - Out of the nine fast-attack boats underway in the Atlantic Ocean, four of them are Virginia-class submarines.

USS Virginia (SSN 774), USS Texas (SSN 775), USS North Carolina (SSN 777) and Pre-Commissioning Unit (PCU) New Hampshire (SSN 778) are all currently conducting exercises and tests off the Atlantic coast.

USS Hawaii (SSN 776), the first Virginia-class boat to deploy, is currently at General Dynamics Electric Boat conducting a post-shakedown availability, an industrial activity availability assigned to correct deficiencies found during the shakedown cruise or to accomplish other authorized improvements.

"Having three of the four operational Virginia-class boats and PCU New Hampshire at sea is a reflection of the hard work, dedication and team work that is our submarine force," said Capt. Robert Clark, Submarine Squadron (SUBRON) 4 commodore. "This will become a common occurrence in the future, but today it's the crowning achievement of a huge cast of people who made it possible."

SUBRON 4 has become known as the "Virginia-class Center of Excellence." They are the parent squadron to every Virginia-class boats' transition to become an operational fleet unit.

"It's a real feather in the cap of the submarine force to be able to take a new design from concept through real employment in such a short time and in such an efficient and effective manner," said Clark.

Virginia-class attack submarines provide the Navy with the capabilities required to maintain the nation's undersea supremacy well into the 21st century. They will have improved stealth, sophisticated surveillance capabilities and special warfare enhancements that will enable them to meet the Navy's multi-mission requirements.


© Copyright 2008 Navy News. All rights reserved

8/12/2008 10:45 AM

 
Anonymous sexshoptienda.blogspot.com said...

Quite effective info, lots of thanks for the article.

12/03/2011 3:39 AM

 
Anonymous sex shop said...

I fully match with whatever thing you've presented.

3/26/2012 6:07 AM

 

Post a Comment

<< Home