USS Hawai`i Honored for Fighting Drugs

The submarine was recognized for its role in counter-drug operations in the Eastern Pacific Ocean in support of Joint Interagency Task Force (JIATF) South.

"I had no imaginable idea that this is what we'd be doing," Hawai`i's Chief of the Boat, Sonar Tech Master Chief Petty Officer Bob Crossno, said in an interview with Undersea Enterprise News Daily.  "We're not doing the stuff we did in the Cold War or World War II.  With our advanced technologies, we can interact with other fleets and other services to support maritime security operations."

The citation reported that the crew demonstrated "highly professional tracking of suspected drug traffickers and aggressively gathered intelligence on shipping throughout the area of operations... [which] directly aided in the interdiction of various drug-laden vessels, seizing large quantities of cocaine and detaining multiple narcotics smugglers."  

In addition, the USS Hawai`i was part of a "complex, covert surveillance network involving Navy and Coast Guard surface, sub-surface and air assets along with other coalition assets in this counter-drug war."

As the ship's sponsor, Governor Lingle commissioned the USS Hawai`i on May 5, 2007.

As part of the Hawai`i Statehood Commission's goal to foster community-wide learning, and in commemoration of 50 years of Hawai`i's statehood, a special event will be held in honor of the submarine's arrival to the state. The event will celebrate the arrival of our namesake ship, as well as the U.S. military's rich history in Hawai`i.

• Visit www.hawaii.gov/statehood to learn more about the commemoration plans

• "USS Hawai`i wins award," Honolulu Advertiser, May 10, 2009
• "USS Hawai`i on way to its new home, Pearl Harbor," Honolulu Advertiser, May 13, 2009