JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR HICKAM, Hawaii – The mayor of Bremerton, Washington, Patty Lent, was on hand to present awards to four Sailors of the Los Angeles class fast-attack submarine, USS Bremerton (SSN 698), on behalf of the Bremerton-Olympic Peninsula Council of the Navy League on Nov. 9. The Sailors selected for the awards were nominated based on outstanding achievement over the last year.
“It is an honor to be here with the crew and to represent the population of Bremerton and the Navy League,” said Lent. “I am impressed with the ability of the crew and their dedication for excellence.”
Electronics Technician Second Class Joshua Walters of Laken, Kansas, was awarded the Bowditch Award for Navigation Excellence. Machinist’s Mate Second Class Anthony Robinson of King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, was awarded the Engineering Go-to Guy Award for Engineering Excellence. Sonar Technician Third Class Tyler Unger of St. Louis, was awarded the Tactical Adonis Award for Tactical and Weapons Department Excellence. Culinary Specialist Third Class Kenneth Silva of San Antonio, was awarded the Supply Specialist Award for Supply Department Excellence.
“I am honored to receive this award from our namesake city of Bremerton,” said Unger. “It’s great to be recognized for working hard and doing my job.”
“It’s gratifying. This award represents many events that have occurred over a long period of time to get the ship in ready conditions,” said Walters.
The Bremerton-Olympic Peninsula Council of the Navy League sponsors USS Bremerton. The organization provides awards to four sailors each year serving aboard based on superior performance over the past year. This initiative was started in 2010.
“We are lucky to have such a supportive city and Navy League,” said Cmdr. Wes Bringham, USS Bremerton commanding officer. “The crew and I were honored to have a port call in Bremerton earlier this year where the city really rolled out the red carpet for us. It was overwhelming the amount of support they showed us.”
As Lent ended the awards ceremony, she expressed her appreciation to the crew.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you from myself, every citizen of Bremerton, and the Navy League,” Lent said.
The USS Bremerton is the oldest, commissioned Los Angeles-class submarine still in active service and is home-ported in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Bringham is currently preparing his crew and the USS Bremerton for her second-to-last scheduled deployment to the Western Pacific before her scheduled decommissioning.
“I look forward to continuing to represent the city of Bremerton through our next two deployments and with the hard work of this crew, this boat could expect service past 2017,” said Bringham.