Norfolk, Va. – A Jacksonville, N.C. native, Fire Control Technician 1st Class Cameron Strickland, was selected as Sailor of the Year while serving aboard USS Wyoming (SSBN 742).
Sailors that show outstanding initiative and commitment to the Navy’s mission and teamwork are selected as Sailor of the Year after standing before a board of senior Sailors. Strickland is known for his superior damage control knowledge and for the work he has done to secure a clear picture of where objects are around the boat, protecting the submarine from collisions and possible enemy watercrafts. He also creates solutions to fire/counter-fire torpedoes at hostile contacts and launch evasive devices when it is necessary.
Strickland joined the Navy to start a new career and serve the country that both of his grandparents and father have also served. He said he is proud to be part of one of the most exclusive branches of the United States Navy.
“We are the .01 percent of the Navy and we are the nation’s most crucial measure for gathering intelligence and providing nuclear deterrence,” he said. “I’m proud to be a part of the USS Wyoming crew. No one accomplishment outshines another, but my favorite aspect of this job is training my junior Sailors and seeing them realize their importance.”
The demands on the United States Submarine Force and supporting organizations continue to grow at an unprecedented rate. The threat continues to evolve and expand rapidly in at least three world regions, each posing substantially different operational demands for both high-end warfighting and peacetime operations. These ever evolving challenges demand continued vigilance, commitment to combat readiness, the ability to quickly adapt and learn in the face of change, and a strict adherence to the Navy core attributes of the submariners’ professional identity of honor, courage and commitment.
Such requirements that can only be performed by America’s outstanding individuals like Cameron Strickland and the crew aboard USS Wyoming.
USS Wyoming is a flexible, multi-mission platform designed to carry out the seven core competencies of the submarine force: anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, delivery of special operation forces, strike warfare, irregular warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and mine warfare. It’s 560 feet long and 42 feet wide and weighs nearly 7,800 tons, powered by a nuclear reactor to push the boat through the water at speeds of more than 25 knots while submerged.