STORY BY KAREN BOSSICK

PHOTOS COURTESY OF USS IDAHO COMMISSIONING COMMITTEE

The USS IDAHO submarine is set to be officially commissioned into the U.S. Navy fleet at 11 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time on Saturday, April 25.

Invites are open to the public with Blaine County VIP opportunities available, said Bill Potter, a local representative on the USS IDAHO Commissioning Committee. To learn more, visit https://ussidahocommittee.org/upcoming-events#commissioning-information.

There will be three days of events that include a tour, veterans lunch, receptions, banquet, breakfast and post commissioning reception.

Closer to home, there will be a free reception to honor crew members at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 24, at the Nampa Warhawk Museum in Nampa.

The commissioning will be held at the Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, Conn. The submarine will be named for former Idaho Gov. Dirk Kempthorn who served as chairman of the USS IDAHO Commissioning Advisory Board.

The future USS IDAHO SSN 799 is a leading-edge Virginia Class nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine built by General Dynamics Electric Boat in Connecticut. She was christened in March 2024.

Much of the advanced acoustic stealth technology came from the U.S. Navy’s premier Acoustic Research Detachment in Bayview, Idaho, on Lake Pend Oreille. ARD is home to the largest unmanned submarine in the world.

The submarine also features modern nuclear technology developed at the Idaho National Laboratory, which will allow the submarine to ply the seas for 35 years before it needs to be refueled.

She is the fourth ship named USS IDAHO, the most recent being Battleship 42, which was commissioned in 1919 and served in the Battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. That submarine was present in Tokyo Bay during the signing of the formal surrender by the Empire of Japan on Sept. 2, 1945.

SECOND, FIRST MEAL:

In anticipation of the commissioning, the Sun Valley Culinary Institute is recreating the First Meal of the future USS IDAHO on Monday, Feb. 9.

SVCI Chef Melissa Mauselle will prepare the menu, which she taught to the culinary specialists who will cook aboard the future USS IDAHO. The dinner was served to dignitaries as the first dinner aboard the ship. It features Idaho ingredients and regional cuisine.

Proceeds from the $250 Second, First Meal of the USS IDAHO will benefit the SVCI Professional program and the USS Idaho Commissioning Committee.

Learn more at https://www.sunvalleyculinary.org/event-details/the-second-first-meal-of-the-uss-idaho.

SAGEBRUSH NAVY SCREENING AND Q&A

On Thursday, Feb. 26, the USS IDAHO Commissioning Foundation will show Idaho Public TV’s documentary “America’s Sagebrush Navy” at 5 p.m. at The Argyros in Ketchum.

The documentary explores Idaho’s Navy history from 1942 to present and the creation of the Nuclear Navy in the desert of Idaho

The free program will include a panel discussion and Q&A at 6:30 p.m. following the screening.

MILESTONES FOR THE FUTURE USS IDAHO SSN 799:

- Received its official name in August 2015

- Keel laying: August 24, 2020

- Christening: March 16, 2024

- Launched: August 6, 2024

- Galley Grand Opening: August 21, 2025

- Completion of Alpha Sea Trials: November 2025 

- Delivery to the U.S. Navy: December 2025