BANGOR, Wash. (NNS) -- The Blue and Gold crews of USS Pennsylvania (SSBN 735) were named as the recipients of the 2014 Trident Submarine Outstanding Performance Award Feb. 13 in a letter signed by Commander, Submarine Force U.S. Pacific Fleet Rear Adm. Philip G. Sawyer.
The award, which is also known as the Olympic Bowl Trophy, is presented annually by the Bremerton-Olympic Peninsula Council of the Navy League to the top ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) in the U.S. Pacific Fleet.
"This ship demonstrated a superior level of performance over the course of a year and I commend them on a job well done," said Rear Adm. Dave Kriete, commander, Submarine Group 9. "What is even more remarkable is the fact that two crews -- Pennsylvania Blue and Gold -- upheld the highest standards while working on completely separate patrol cycles. This combined effort exemplifies the sense of teamwork and partnership that must be prevalent in order to succeed in our deterrence mission."
The Pennsylvania crews demonstrated quiet consistency throughout 2014, spending two-thirds of the year supporting the nation's strategic deterrence mission. They also achieved superior marks in every external validation of readiness during the year, a process that helps determine the award recipient.
These areas include weapons system performance and readiness, navigation performance and practices, communication system performance, material condition and engineering readiness, personnel readiness, initiative in promoting new operational concepts, and tactical readiness.
In 2014, Pennsylvania set the record for the longest strategic deterrent patrol recorded since the beginning of the Poseidon C3 ballistic missile program in the early 1970s. That feat, coupled with a total of more than 27,000 nautical miles traveled over the course of the year, highlights the significant endurance and versatility of the Ohio-class SSBN fleet.
The two crews are scheduled to receive the Olympic Bowl Trophy during the Armed Forces Gala in Bremerton, Wash., May 16.