Saipan welcomes sailors from USS Pasadena

The CNMI welcomed sailors from the USS Pasadena yesterday afternoon at the Port of Saipan at Charlie Dock, Puerto Rico.

Military and Veterans Affairs deputy executive officer Ruth Coleman, Saipan Chamber of Commerce executive director Christine Parke, and Marianas Visitors Authority Frank Tudela led the welcoming committee for the visiting navy.

Military veteran and Associate Judge David Wiseman and United States Coast Guard CNMI supervisor Greg Schultz were also present during the ceremony.

The submarine, with a complement of at least 144 crewmembers, docked on the island at 2pm yesterday and it will be spending the next five days for rest and relaxation in the CNMI. They are set to leave the island Monday morning.

In a brief welcome ceremony, Coleman shared with the visiting sailors information about the islands, and its famed tourist attractions such as the Grotto, being one of the best diving spots in the world. She also informed the crewmembers about the current and upcoming events on the islands such as the Thursday night market in Garapan.

Coleman said on behalf of the governor and the lieutenant governor she is very grateful that USS Pasadena chose Saipan for its recreation destination over the weekend.

Parke said some of the submarine crewmen are invited to a luau party at the Hyatt Regency Saipan beach side this afternoon. American Red Cross NMI Chapter is sponsoring the food for the gathering. She said the chamber is going to present a plaque of appreciation to the submarine’s crew headed by Commander John P. “J.P.” Heatherington.

Heatherington, who was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and raised in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1986 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Systems Engineering.

The USS Pasadena SSN 752 is the third vessel and first submarine named in the United States Navy. Her missions include anti-submarine warfare and strike warfare. SSN 752 is the second Improved 688 Class submarine and was commissioned Feb. 11, 1989.

Originally assigned to Submarine Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet, SSN 752 conducted an inter-fleet transfer in October 1990 to the Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet, and was home-ported in San Diego, California.