Life on the USS Delaware is not like on the surface.
The halls are narrow, hardly wide enough for two people to brush past at the same time. Cords and machinery line the walls, creeping up into a ceiling low enough to put anyone over 5-foot-10 at risk of a head injury.
Submariners rest in cubby-like rooms, bunks stacked three high with nothing but a blue curtain for privacy or darkness. When the all-male crew exceeds its usual 120 members, some submariners sleep on mattresses in the torpedo room, mere feet from the massive weapons ready to be fired at a moment’s notice.
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The torpedoes aren’t often used outside of training exercises, Chief Engineer Lt. Cmdr. Ryan Schaedel said. Instead, most midshipmen will soon spend their days searching for other ships using sonar, charting courses or looking over the nuclear reactor on board. They may even be navigating the submarine’s periscope using an X-box controller.
Schaedel explained that with the power generated by the reactor, the submarine will never need to refuel. That same energy is used to filter carbon dioxide out of the air to keep it breathable. In fact, the only reason the boat technically needs to dock is to resupply food.
It was in these same narrow halls that the submarine was commissioned two years ago, the first ship to do so underwater in the Navy’s history due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, to commemorate that occasion, a host of local and national leaders will speak at a ceremony Saturday morning.
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“We’ve been looking forward to the day that we can be in the Delaware (River),” said Cmdr. Matthew Horton, commanding officer of the USS Delaware.
Horton said surfacing in Wilmington on Tuesday was “really exciting,” and he has spent time getting to know the city since arriving.
Sen. Chris Coons, a Navy veteran himself, came to greet Horton on Friday after a dress rehearsal of the ceremony. He had a message for any foreign powers that may be listening: “Don’t mess with the USS Delaware.”
Coons will be one of Friday’s special guests, alongside politicians like Mayor Mike Pruzycki, Gov. John Carney, Rep. Lisa Blunt-Rochester, Sen. Tom Carper and high-ranking Navy officials.
They will be joined by two esteemed guests: President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden. The first lady sponsored the submarine, but Friday will be her first time touring it.
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“It’s a great honor to have both the commander in chief and our sponsor here to celebrate this,” Horton said. “It’s definitely not something that occurs frequently.”
Saturday’s ceremony is expected to start at around 11 a.m. The Port of Wilmington will be closed to visitors, but the ceremony can be watched at home via livestream.
Send story tips or ideas to Hannah Edelman at hedelman@delawareonline.com. For more reporting, follow them on Twitter at @h_edelman.
