USS HELENA arrives in Bremerton, with an inactivation process planned
The Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine USS Helena (SSN 725) enters Sinclair Inlet. Image courtesy of Peiyu Lin via the Kitsap Sun.
The Navy League of the United States Bremerton-Olympic Peninsula Council scheduled a celebration event to welcome USS Helena’s (SSN 725) arrival in Bremerton. The USS Helena is the 38th nuclear-powered Los Angeles-class submarine and the fourth U.S. Navy ship named after the city and capital of Montana. The sub is 360 feet long, 33 feet wide and weighs about 6,900 tons when submerged, according to the Navy. The nation has about 25 Los Angeles-class submarines in active service, according to an update from the Navy in March. Los Angeles-class submarines are equipped with 12 Vertical Launch System (VLS) tubes for firing Tomahawk cruise missiles. Throughout Helena’s years of service, the submarine conducted operations around the world, including deployments and operations in the Western Pacific, South America, Europe, and the Atlantic Ocean.