By Chief Mass Communication Specialist Bill Steele, Navy Office of Community Outreach
Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jackson Brown
SILVERDALE, Wash. – A 1999 Bishop Lynch High School graduate and Dallas native
Chief Petty Officer Phillip Damuth, a fire control technician, serves aboard the submarine based at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor in Washington, not far from Seattle.
As a fire control technician, Damuth is responsible for all the tactical weapons systems onboard submarines.
“I really enjoy strike warfare and being involved with tactical weapons, torpedos and tomahawks,” Damuth said. “Having the opportunity to mentor and train young men about what we do is one of my favorite things.”
Damuth draws from lessons learned growing up in Dallas.
“Just being from Texas I learned an overall respect and a work ethic,” Damuth said.
Guided missile submarines provide unprecedented strike and special operation mission capabilities from a stealthy platform, according to Navy officials. Armed with tactical missiles and equipped with superior communications capabilities, the submarine performs its mission with a much lower level of risk than what would normally be experienced when deploying this level of capability from surface or air platforms.
The Ohio-class platform capitalizes on its existing strengths of endurance and stealth in maintaining long-term station-keeping duty while forward deployed. In addition to having the ability to deploy over 150 tactical missiles, the platform can also be configured to support dedicated accommodations for significant numbers of special operations forces, such as Navy SEALS.
Guided-missile submarines like USS Ohio were converted to their present configuration from Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarines. And like their nuclear-deterrent predecessors, the decades-old fleet is aging, Navy officials say, with the oldest submarines now more than 30 years old, well past their planned service lives.
A new and effective successor is critical to national security, and the Navy is well into the process to design and field a more advanced ballistic missile submarine which will provide the necessary sea-based nuclear deterrence into the 2080s and beyond.
The Ohio-class platform capitalizes on its existing strengths of endurance and stealth in maintaining long-term station-keeping duty while forward deployed. In addition to having the ability to deploy over 150 tactical missiles, the platform can also be configured to support dedicated accommodations for significant numbers of special operations forces, such as Navy SEALS.
Guided-missile submarines like USS Ohio were converted to their present configuration from Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarines. And like their nuclear-deterrent predecessors, the decades-old fleet is aging, Navy officials say, with the oldest submarines now more than 30 years old, well past their planned service lives.
A new and effective successor is critical to national security, and the Navy is well into the process to design and field a more advanced ballistic missile submarine which will provide the necessary sea-based nuclear deterrence into the 2080s and beyond.
Submarine sailors are some of the most highly trained and skilled people in the Navy. The training is highly technical, and each crew has to be able to operate, maintain, and repair every system or piece of equipment on board. Regardless of their specialty, everyone also has to learn how everything on the submarine works and how to respond in emergencies to become “qualified in submarines” and earn the right to wear the coveted gold or silver dolphins on their uniforms.
"The men and women from across our nation who volunteer for military service embody the fundamental values of honor, courage and sacrifice that are the bedrock of our republic," said Rear Adm. Blake Converse, Commander, Submarine Group Nine. "They protect and defend America from above, below, and across the world's oceans. The entire nation should be extremely proud of the hard work that these sailors do every single day to support the critical mission of the Navy and the submarine force."
“I love the competitive, tip of the spear mentality in the submariner community,” Damuth said. “They're people who focus on the things that matter. They take pride in wanting to be the best.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied upon assets, Damuth and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes, one that will provide a critical component of the Navy the nation needs.