USS Boise Wins Battenberg Cup

LANTFLT announced today that USS Boise (SSN 764), named for one of the world's great cities, is the winner of the 2010 Battenberg Cup was the best warship in the Atlantic Fleet.

Boise is homeported at Naval Station Norfolk in Norfolk, Va., and is only the third submarine to win the Battenberg Cup. The other winners were Los Angeles-class attack submarines USS Memphis (SSN 691) in 2005, USS Miami (SSN 755) in 1999.
"The outstanding achievements by the crews of each ship nominated for the Battenberg Cup made the selection process extremely difficult," said Harvey. "All of the finalists distinguished themselves through exceptional performance and should be proud of their accomplishments.
"For the crew of USS Boise, you have shown yourselves to be among the best Sailors we have, and you made Boise the best ship in the Atlantic Fleet. I'm very proud to serve alongside you and congratulate you for your achievement. Bravo Zulu," said Harvey.
Other ships in the Battenberg Cup competition included aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) representing Commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic; and amphibious warfare ship USS Nassau (LHA 4) representing Commander, Naval Surface Force Atlantic.
"Boise was outstanding this past year," said Vice Adm. John M. Richardson, commander, Submarine Force Atlantic. "They approached every challenge in a dedicated and very thorough way. Every member on the Boise team knows their job and knows they are valued by their command and the Navy as national treasures. Boise's integrity and humble sense of purpose really set them apart as an example for others to follow. I'm super happy about them receiving this prestigious award."

Here's a picture of the winner returning from her last deployment:

As Idaho's first and foremost submarine blogger, I have to say that I'm quite excited by this honor for the ship that represents my state's capital, almost as excited as I as that we now have a COMSUBLANT who uses the phrase "super happy" in an official press release.

In other submarine news heading into the weekend, PCU Minnesota (SSN 783) had her keel laid (you can watch the video here), and PCU California (SSN 781) is probably heading out for Alpha Trials pretty soon. Meanwhile, NAVSUBASE Kings Bay celebrated diversity.

In personal news, I got a new air compressor today, so I'm totally stoked. Have a great weekend, everyone!