GROTON, Conn. - Petty Officer 2nd Class Joshua Bell, a native of Plymouth, Michigan, is training sailors to continue the U.S. Navy’s 125-year tradition of service under the sea.
 |
| Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class James Green, Navy Office of Community Outreach |
Bell graduated from Plymouth High School in 2019.
The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Plymouth.
“I worked three jobs in high school and played multiple sports,” Bell said. “Those experiences made me very aggressive for personal achievement and gave me a good work ethic. I believe it’s helped me in the Navy because I’ve always gotten good evaluations, loaded up with achievements, got three Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals on my last tour and qualified for sonar supervisor on my first tour.”
Bell joined the Navy six years ago. Today, Bell serves as a sonar technician (submarine) and is an instructor at the Naval Submarine School, training sailors to serve in the submarine force.
“I joined the Navy because I’ve had a fascination with ships from a young age,” Bell said. “Living in Michigan when I was growing up, we had a huge shipping industry around the Great Lakes. I would go with my grandparents to Wyandotte to watch the ships go by. Also, my oldest sister went to college at Northern Michigan University, where there’s an iron mill. We’d watch them load the ships and pull out.”
Located aboard Naval Submarine Base New London, Naval Submarine School is where officers and enlisted sailors learn the basic knowledge needed to join operational submarine commands in the Atlantic and Pacific fleets. Once in the fleet, this foundation allows sailors to build competence and proficiency in operating and maintaining submarines and all their systems. The school also provides refresher and advanced training to members of the submarine force and those supporting submarine commands to increase proficiency in specific skills.
Known as America’s “Apex Predators,” the U.S. Navy’s submarine force operates a large fleet of technologically advanced vessels. These submarines are capable of conducting rapid defensive and offensive operations around the world, in furtherance of U.S. national security.
There are three basic types of submarines: fast-attack submarines, ballistic-missile submarines and guided-missile submarines.
Fast-attack submarines are designed to hunt down and destroy enemy submarines and surface ships; strike targets ashore with cruise missiles; carry and deliver Navy SEALs; conduct intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions; and engage in mine warfare. The Virginia-class fast-attack submarine is the most advanced submarine in the world today. It combines stealth and payload capability to meet Combatant Commanders’ demands in this era of strategic competition.
The Navy’s ballistic-missile submarines, often referred to as “boomers,” serve as a strategic deterrent by providing an undetectable platform for submarine-launched ballistic missiles. They are designed specifically for stealth, extended patrols and the precise delivery of missiles. The Columbia-class ballistic-missile submarines will be the largest, most capable and most advanced submarines produced by the U.S., replacing the current Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarines to ensure continuous sea-based strategic deterrence into the 2080s.
Guided-missile submarines provide the Navy with unprecedented strike and special operation mission capabilities from a stealthy, clandestine platform. Each guided-missile submarine is capable of carrying 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles, plus a complement of heavyweight torpedoes to be fired through four torpedo tubes.
Strategic deterrence is the nation’s ultimate insurance program, according to Navy officials. As a member of the submarine force, Bell is part of the rich 125-year history of the U.S. Navy’s most versatile weapons platform, capable of taking the fight to the enemy in the defense of America and its allies.
The U.S. Navy is celebrating its 250th birthday this year.
According to Navy officials, “America is a maritime nation and for 250 years, America’s Warfighting Navy has sailed the globe in defense of freedom.”
With 90% of global commerce traveling by sea and access to the internet relying on the security of undersea fiber optic cables, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity of the United States is directly linked to recruiting and retaining talented people from across the rich fabric of America.
Bell has many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during military service.
“I was nominated for the Kings Bay Apex Predator Award for taking on more responsibility outside my job description while performing above average in my work,” Bell said. “Just getting nominated for it is big to me. I was told about it two weeks before I left. It’s very cool.”
Bell serves a Navy that operates far forward, around the world and around the clock, promoting the nation’s prosperity and security.
“Serving in the Navy means carrying on a tradition of excellence,” Bell said. “It’s not just what I see now in the Navy that shows me tradition, but it’s talking with veterans that shows me what it used to be. I met a Vietnam War veteran at a baseball game, and he was handing out pins to active and retired service members to show appreciation for us, because he didn’t get a welcome home when he came home from the war. The Navy does things that seem impossible every day, and the tradition is that we’re just going to keep doing it because we can.”
Bell is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible.
“I would like to thank my parents, Julie and Michael Bell, and my girlfriend, Valerie, for their constant support,” Bell said. “I also want to thank Senior Chief Rhode on USS Maryland for pushing me to my potential.”