USS Pittsburgh arrives at final base for decommissioning

The Navy’s USS Pittsburgh submarine crossed the arctic under ice on its way to its final destination.

After making its last trip from Connecticut to the state of Washington, the sub is being removed from service.

The 361-foot, Los Angeles-class, fast-attack submarine had 35 years of service, the last year-and-a-half of which was under the command of Scott native Jason Deichler. He was in charge of a crew of nearly 150 people on missions covering 39,000 nautical miles.

It is the first sub of its type to complete an arctic transit, traveling from Groton, Conn., to Bremerton, Wash. It arrived at Naval Base Kitsap-Bremerton on May 28. The sub will be drained of its fuel and its hull will be held in storage until it is decommissioned.

“It was an amazing transit,” said Deichler. “There aren’t too many people in the history of the world, let alone the submarine force, let alone the Navy, that have done that transit under the ice.”

Launched in 1984, the USS Pittsburgh participated in both Iraq wars, Desert Storm in 1991 and Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2002. The Los Angeles-class nuclear attack subs, in service since the 1980s, are being replaced by the Virginia-class subs, which incorporate new technologies and innovations.

“All I heard from the crew during the transit was ‘this is the last,’” said Deichler. “This is the last meal; this is the last time we are going to eat Pittsburgh steak on (the USS) Pittsburgh; this is the last turn; this is the last shut down. So the pride that they have in the ship is amazing, the best I have ever seen on any ship I have ever served.”

Deichler received his commission in 1999 through the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps after graduating from Carnegie Mellon University. He attended Chartiers Valley High School and was presented with a distinguished alumni award when he visited the school in March. While he was in Pittsburgh, he also appeared at the Carnegie Science Center alongside the World War II-era sub, the USS Requin, and marched in the St. Patrick’s Day parade.

The USS Pittsburgh is the fourth Navy vessel to be named for the city of Pittsburgh.