Last modified Thu., January 17, 2008 - 10:58 AM
Originally created Thursday, January 17, 2008

Navy League welcomes USS Georgia

By MCSN Dmitry Chepusov, Periscope staff

Former Navy League National President Sheila McNeill and husband Arlie McNeill walked from table to table displaying a drawing made recently by popular cartoonist Jack Davis upon his visit to the USS Georgia and asking guests to buy raffle tickets to support the Navy League. This painting was the prize after a raffle drawing at the end of the evening's event.
MCSN Dmitry Chepusov

The chiefs and officers of the USS Georgia (SSGN-729) were officially welcomed by the Navy League of the United States at the Kings Bay Conference Center Jan. 10. Camden County's community leaders and Kings Bay's commanding officers also showed their support.

"Today is about the survival and the triumphant return of the USS Georgia," said, former Navy League National President and current Return to Service Committee Chairman Sheila McNeill. "This event is very significant to Camden County, to all Georgians and to all Americans."

The evening started with refreshments of soda, wine and been, and hors d'uvre as well as a light dinner line serving barbeque pork and other favorite delicacies.

McNeill and her husband took this opportunity to walk to each table with a painting drawn a few weeks ago by famous Comic Book Hall of Fame cartoonist Jack Davis. This painting of a Georgia Bulldog aboard the USS Georgia submarine was raffled off using tickets bought by donating to the Navy League at this time.

As people filled their tables and their mouths, McNeill came to the podium to outline the reason for the evening's event.

According to McNeill, from 1984 to 1997 the United States built 18 Ohio Class SSBN Trident submarines.

(from left) Former USS Georgia (SSGN-729) Commanding Officer Cmdr. Rodney Hutton and the Georgia's new Commanding Officer Capt. Brian McIlvaine cut a cake which reads "Welcome Home USS Georgia" at an event sponsored by the Navy League Jan. 10.
MCSN Dmitry Chepusov

These boats were to be attached either to NSB Kings Bay, GA or to NSB Bangor, WA. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union there was a nuclear posture review conducted by the Department of Defense, which determined that the country's strategic deterrence requirements could be satisfied with only 14 SSBNs. The plan was to destroy the USS Ohio, USS Michigan, USS Florida, and USS Georgia.

Submarine designers created a platform which could convert the SSBN to carry conventional warheads. A plan was formed to transform the USS Georgia and the other three boats into SSGNs which can carry 154 Tomahawk missiles each. McNeill and her Camden County Navy League colleagues delivered the conversion proposal documents to all members of congress along with thousands of tiny chocolate submarines.

"We didn't stop there," continued McNeill. "We sent letters to every United States governor and created button pins with messages like 'Save the Georgia' and 'Bring Georgia home'. All our efforts paid off when we saw an article in Proceedings Magazine by Capt. Mark Bock titled 'On Time, On Budget, On Mission: The U.S. Navy SSGN Program Shows the Way Ahead'.

"Once this conversion happened, our community started to lobby to have the USS Georgia and USS Florida to come here," said McNeill. "Welcome home, USS Georgia," she concluded to loud applause. The evening came to an end when both the current commanding officer and the prospective commanding officer cut the celebratory cake and the raffle for the drawing took place.