USS Colorado (SSN 788)

USS COLORADO History:

USS COLORADO is a VIRGINIA-class fast-attack submarine built as part of the U.S. Navy's effort to sustain a modern, multi-mission nuclear attack submarine force in the post-Cold War era. She is the fifteenth VIRGINIA-class boat and the fifth of the redesigned Block III configuration, and the fourth U.S. warship to bear the name of the state of Colorado. The construction contract for the hull that would become USS COLORADO was awarded on December 22, 2008, as part of the joint VIRGINIA-class build program led by General Dynamics Electric Boat and Huntington Ingalls Industries' Newport News Shipbuilding.

Following the award, detailed design work and module fabrication progressed in the early 2010s under the VIRGINIA-class modular construction approach. Hull sections and major internal modules were built in parallel at Electric Boat and Newport News, then transported for assembly, reducing build time and cost compared to traditional sequential construction. Open sources indicate that construction activity for SSN 788 was underway by 2012, with the hull gradually taking shape in parallel with other Block III boats.

The Navy publicly tied the ship's identity to the state on June 25, 2012, when the official naming ceremony for USS COLORADO was held. The ship's sponsor was announced as Annie Mabus, daughter of then-Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, establishing the long-term ceremonial link between sponsor, crew and ship that is traditional in U.S. naval practice.

A major physical milestone came with the keel-laying ceremony on March 7, 2015. At General Dynamics Electric Boat's Quonset Point facility in North Kingstown, Rhode Island, the Navy and shipbuilder marked the formal start of hull assembly for the pre-commissioning unit COLORADO. During the event, Annie Mabus authenticated the keel by having her initials welded onto a ceremonial plate attached to the structure, a symbolic act that also reflects the progress of modular construction up to that point. By late 2016, hull and systems integration were sufficiently advanced for the traditional christening. On December 3, 2016, COLORADO was christened at the Electric Boat yard in Groton ceremony - once again with Annie Mabus performing the sponsor's role. The christening coincided with the submarine's launch into the water, marking her transition from an assembly project in a construction bay to a ship preparing for sea trials.

Through 2017, the submarine moved into the test and trials phase. Systems were energized, propulsion and combat systems tested pier-side, and the crew and builder's representatives prepared for sea. On September 21, 2017, after completing builder's sea trials and initial Navy acceptance checks, the Navy formally accepted delivery of the future USS COLORADO. A Naval Sea Systems Command announcement that day recorded that the Navy accepted delivery of the fifteenth VIRGINIA-class submarine, emphasizing that COLORADO was the fifth Block III boat with the redesigned bow featuring two large VIRGINIA Payload Tubes instead of twelve individual vertical launch tubes.

Early 2018 was devoted to final at-sea testing and preparations for commissioning. Imagery from January 2018 shows the boat at Port Canaveral, Florida, during trials, indicating that COLORADO operated away from the New England area as part of her test program, likely combining deep-water systems trials with navigational training and port logistics practice for the new crew.

The culmination of the pre-commissioning phase came at Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, Connecticut. On March 17, 2018, the Navy officially commissioned USS COLORADO (SSN 788) during a ceremony at the base. A Navy press release in the days just before the event stated that the commissioning would be held at 11:00 a.m. on March 17, with Senator Cory Gardner of Colorado as the principal speaker and Annie Mabus as sponsor, following the long-standing tradition of the sponsor ordering the crew to "man our ship and bring her to life".

Once commissioned, USS COLORADO was assigned to Submarine Squadron 4 (SUBRON 4), headquartered in Groton. A 2022 Navy news story on her second deployment explicitly notes that COLORADO operates under Submarine Squadron 4, confirming that the boat's early operational life was spent as part of the Groton-based Atlantic submarine force under U.S. Fleet Forces and Submarine Force Atlantic.

From 2018 into 2019, COLORADO conducted the pattern of training, certifications and local operations typical for a newly commissioned fast-attack submarine preparing for sustained deployments. Public Navy sources do not provide a day-by-day chronology of these early operations, but official photographs and later articles indicate that she operated regularly from Groton, building crew proficiency in navigation, engineering, combat systems, and joint exercises in the western Atlantic. These preparations set the conditions for her first overseas deployment.

USS COLORADO's first major operational milestone was her maiden deployment to the U.S. European Command (EUCOM) area of responsibility. A Navy news article dated February 21, 2020, reports that COLORADO returned to her homeport at Naval Submarine Base New London on February 20, 2020, concluding this initial deployment. Under the command of Capt. Jason Geddes, the submarine had deployed from Groton to EUCOM waters, where she supported the Chief of Naval Operations' maritime strategy by conducting national security and maritime security operations. During this maiden deployment, COLORADO steamed approximately 39,000 nautical miles, a figure that illustrates both the duration and intensity of her operations. The same official account notes that the deployment included diplomacy-supporting port visits in Haakonsvern, Norway, and Faslane, Scotland. These two ports connect the submarine's activities to NATO's northern maritime frontier and the United Kingdom's submarine base on the Clyde, respectively, reflecting how U.S. fast-attack submarines work with allied navies to underpin undersea defense in the North Atlantic. In addition, the crew marked the traditional milestone of crossing into the Arctic Circle, an evolution that aligns with the growing emphasis on Arctic operations as sea ice recedes and NATO monitors increased Russian activity in the High North.

The deployment was significant for crew development. The Navy's report records that twenty-one enlisted sailors and five officers earned their submarine warfare qualification - "dolphins" - while embarked, formally joining the community of fully qualified submariners. Twelve enlisted sailors advanced in paygrade and three reenlisted while deployed, underscoring how operational cruises serve both to execute missions and to build long-term professional experience within the crew. The battle flag tradition article published later also notes that the boat's battle flag incorporated symbols of this first deployment, including patches referencing the port visits and the crossing of the Arctic Circle, tying visual heritage to specific operational achievements.

After returning to Groton in February 2020, COLORADO entered a cycle of maintenance and follow-on operations. Photo archives show the submarine again returning to Naval Submarine Base New London in September 2020, and then on April 6, 2021, indicating interim periods at sea and in port as the boat carried out training and regional missions in the western Atlantic. Public sources do not describe these specific sorties in detail, but the documented returns demonstrate that COLORADO remained active from her homeport, building on the experience of her maiden deployment while remaining available for tasking by U.S. Fleet Forces and Submarine Group 2.

By 2021, COLORADO and her crew were ready for the next longer operational cruise. A Navy news story dated March 14, 2022, states that the submarine returned to Naval Submarine Base New London on Sunday, March 13, 2022, after a nearly seven-month deployment. During this deployment, USS COLORADO, now under the command of Cmdr. Garth Storz, steamed more than 45,000 nautical miles. The article again emphasizes her assignment to Submarine Squadron 4 and highlights the emotional significance of the homecoming for families waiting on the pier.

The Navy's public account of this nearly seven-month deployment does not list specific ports of call or name the exact operational areas, but contemporary open-source summaries, drawing on official statements, describe operations focused on the broader European theater. The timing of the deployment, which overlapped with mounting tensions and then open conflict in Ukraine in early 2022, fits within the wider picture of U.S. and NATO navies maintaining a robust undersea presence in the North Atlantic and adjacent seas to deter aggression and reassure allies. In this way, COLORADO's second deployment can be seen as part of a larger pattern of allied undersea operations rather than an isolated cruise.

Between March 2022 and mid-2023, COLORADO again cycled through periods of maintenance, upkeep, and at-sea operations from Groton. The boat remained in the Atlantic force, continuing to refine crew proficiency and to serve as an available asset for U.S. European Command or other taskings as required. Although open sources do not provide a granular log of these months, the absence of publicized incident reports suggests steady, routine execution of missions and exercises, characteristic of modern fast-attack submarine operations where much of the detailed work remains classified or unreported.

Her third deployment is clearly documented in a Navy news story dated December 20, 2023. That article reports that USS COLORADO, under the command of Cmdr. David Beam, returned to Naval Submarine Base New London on Tuesday, December 19, 2023, after completing a six-month deployment to the European area of operations. The story underscores that this cruise was COLORADO's third deployment and again situates her in the U.S. European Command area of responsibility, reflecting the continued focus of Atlantic-based VIRGINIA-class submarines on European and North Atlantic security.

The 2023 deployment details show continuity with her earlier operational patterns but add further specifics. According to the December 2023 Navy article, COLORADO steamed nearly 36,000 nautical miles during the six-month period. The boat made port calls in Grotsund, Norway, and Rota, Spain. Grotsund, near Tromso in northern Norway, positions the submarine close to the Norwegian and Barents Seas and the Arctic approaches, underscoring NATO's attention to undersea activity in the High North. Rota, on Spain's Atlantic coast near the Strait of Gibraltar, is a key U.S. and NATO naval logistics hub for operations spanning the Mediterranean and eastern Atlantic. Together, these ports frame COLORADO's third deployment as one that linked northern and southern parts of the European maritime theater. The article also notes that thirty crew members earned their "dolphins" during this deployment, reflecting the boat's continued role as an operational platform and a training environment for new submariners.

With three deployments completed from Groton and an operational record that prominently features the European and North Atlantic theaters, the Navy then repositioned COLORADO to support long-term maintenance and Pacific fleet requirements. On April 17, 2024, the submarine and her crew of approximately 130 sailors arrived at their new homeport at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. A DVIDS and Commander, Submarine Force U.S. Pacific Fleet news release describes this move as a homeport shift from Groton to Pearl Harbor undertaken so that COLORADO could complete a two-year Extended Dry-Docking Selected Restricted Availability (EDSRA) at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility. The same announcement notes that while the submarine completes her EDSRA, she will report administratively to Commander, Submarine Squadron 7, and that she is now part of U.S. 3rd Fleet within the wider U.S. Pacific Fleet.

This homeport change marks a significant transition in the boat's life, moving her from the Atlantic-focused Groton community to the Pacific submarine force. The April 17, 2024 news release emphasizes both the operational and industrial sides of the shift: Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard leadership welcomed COLORADO to the "Ohana", underscoring the cooperative relationship between fleet units and the shipyard workforce, while the submarine's commanding officer, Cmdr. David Beam, is quoted expressing the crew's eagerness to complete the overhaul and return the warship to the fleet. The move also reflects broader U.S. strategy to balance attack submarine presence between the Atlantic and Indo-Pacific theaters, where undersea capabilities play a central role in deterrence and alliance commitments.

Shortly after arriving in Hawaii, COLORADO began the scheduled maintenance period. On June 12, 2024, an official DVIDS photo series documented the submarine making her way into Dry Dock 2 at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility. The caption states that shipyard personnel manned inhaul and control lines to bring COLORADO into position and confirms that she is at the shipyard for a two-year Extended Dry-Docking Selected Restricted Availability. EDSRA periods for fast-attack submarines typically involve major hull, mechanical and electrical work, modernization of combat systems, and inspections of the nuclear propulsion plant, ensuring that the submarine can continue to operate safely and effectively for many more years.

During this time in Pearl Harbor, COLORADO's command structure also evolved. On August 23, 2024, a change-of-command ceremony for the submarine took place at the Battleship MISSOURI Memorial in Pearl Harbor, as recorded in a DVIDS news story.

As of late 2024 and into 2025, USS COLORADO remains in her EDSRA period at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard. The publicly available timeline indicates that this work is projected to last about two years from June 2024, after which the submarine would be expected to return to operational status under Submarine Squadron 7 and U.S. 3rd Fleet, ready to conduct undersea missions in the Indo-Pacific.

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