USS Georgia stands armed and ready

That same year, USS Georgia's current commanding officer, Capt. Brian McIlvaine, graduated with distinction from the United States Naval Academy. 24 years later, the boat and its captain find themselves together at an exciting time and McIlvaine couldn't be happier.

"This is the job that I asked for. I'd have to say it is the best one that I have had," McIlvaine said.

At the end of 2006, his detailer asked him if he wanted to roll early and change to a new command in 2007. "I didn't know it at the time but the timing really was fortuitous because there were four SSGN command tours on that slate - two on USS Michigan and two on USS Georgia. SSGN was tops on my list. So I was very, very fortunate to get command of Georgia," he said.

(From left) USS Georgia Commanding Officer Capt. Brian McIlvaine and Executive Officer Lt. Cmdr. Noel Gonzales have faced several challenges in route to getting the Georgia ready for operations. McIlvaine said after being in the Norfolk Naval Shipyard for the past few years, bringing the boat and crew to a new base means establishing new working relationships with the major commands on base like Trident Refit Facility (TRF) and Squadron 16/20. Photo by By MCSN Dmitry Chepusov

Not that the new command hasn't come without challenges. McIlvaine said after being in the Norfolk Naval Shipyard for the past few years, bringing the boat and crew to a new base means establishing new working relationships with the major commands on base like Trident Refit Facility (TRF) and Squadron 16/20. "We had some growing pains working through that. That being said, TRF did a fantastic job getting us ready and out to sea a day early," he said.

The other challenge McIlvaine points to is being underway and getting the crew focused on being their own repair facility at sea. "Fixing and keeping ourselves at sea with the goal of returning to port in better shape than we left it is key," he said.

The Georgia crew has been back in port for a week working the plethora of details that it takes to pull off a successful ceremony of this scale. Working the detailed life onboard a submarine at sea makes the crew use to this type of up tempo.

McIlvaine said a typical day underway for the Georgia crew starts with a trip to periscope depth to get and sent message traffic, get "Sailor mail", check the weather, sea state and see what the shipping density looks like in the area. This is followed by a drill brief and a set of drills before lunch. In the afternoon, another periscope depth trip for training. "If we see a ship in the area, we will man the fire control tracking team where we will track the ship for awhile," he said.

After the evening meal, the officers in the wardroom review the lessons learned from the previous 24 hours. They spend this time talking about what they did that worked and what they could do better. McIlvaine implemented the officer review session as something he learned from Capt. Jeff Coran, who was commanding officer of USS Kentucky in Bangor, Wash. from 2004 to 2007.

"It works very well for our guys. We do it every day and I think that it has paid big dividends for us," McIlvaine said. "I've found there are always new things to learn and better ways of doing business. Not only is it one of the most important parts of my day, but it is certainly the highlight of my day."

McIlvaine's enthusiasm isn't lost on the crew. "The way he carries himself makes everyone proud of what they are doing. Everyone gets more involved. Even if things aren't going right, he is quick to give a course correction and to focus the desire and energy of the crew," said Lt. Cmdr. Noel Gonzales, USS Georgia's executive officer.

The Georgia skipper said that while the functions between the SSBNs and SSGNs both going to sea and maintaining the alert mission are similar, there are a couple of additional benefits that make SSGNs unique. "We are able to communicate a little more, so we get a little more "Sailor mail" at sea and keep in touch with our families back home. Also, we have changed the mindset that we are out looking for things to do as to going out and looking for things to avoid. So, that part has been kind of fun as well," he said.

There are a number of submarines that are named for a state and could potentially be stationed in their home state - Texas, Hawaii, Virginia, Connecticut and North Carolina. The fact that Georgia is currently the only one that is stationed in its home state isn't lost on McIlvaine.

"We consistently get a great deal of support from the community here. I would say that is the case for all the boats stationed in Kings Bay, but I think we have the advantage of getting just a little bit extra because of our hull's name," he said.

"Georgia Tech invited us up and we got to see what a great city Atlanta is and what a great school they (Georgia Tech) have up there. We have been closely integrated with many of the civic organizations here in the Southeast Georgia area already. It's just a great state. A great area to be home ported in. It's a great community to be a part of," he added.

Following the return-to-service ceremony, the boat and its crew continue with their busy timetable. The boat has scheduled May 3rd as the official date for their crew split to Blue and Gold Crews in conjunction with an exchange of command ceremony. McIlvaine sees the ceremony more as a crew "alignment" than a crew split because of how well the entire crew is working together.

"Despite the fact that we have already determined what the crew alignment is, there is still a high degree of unity and that is something that both Captain (Michael) Brown and I will strive to maintain as we move the ship forward. There is only one Georgia crew, but it is only half of us that get to take her to sea at a time," McIlvaine said.

Following the crew "alignment", the blue crew will take the boat to sea for a qualification period before the submarine goes through more modernization with a new fire control and sonar system to be installed through the summer. After the systems are in place, the crew will get certified in those systems and also finish proficiency training with special operations forces in the fall.

USS Georgia is scheduled for their first deployment in July 2009.

"The crew is working hard with the idea of going on deployment as the target," McIlvaine said. "It's not just 'we want to get the boat ready.' We want to get the boat ready and go! We are anxious to be out there and earning the money for the taxpayer's investment."