Pacific Fleet Submarines Selected for Battle 'E' Awards

The winners of the 2005 Battle Efficiency Awards (Battle-E) for the Pacific Fleet Submarine Force were announced. Three nuclear-powered attack submarines homeported in Pearl Harbor were among the submarines selected for the award. They include USS La Jolla (SSN 701), Submarine Squadron One; USS Columbia (SSN 771), Submarine Squadron Three; and USS Cheyenne (SSN 773), Submarine Squadron Seven. Capt. Michael Zieser, Commodore, Submarine Squadron One, presented the Battle-E award to Cmdr. Nelson Hildreth, USS La Jolla's commanding officer. "Teamwork is the driving factor in being the best. It is one thing to set a goal, another to accomplish it. Although each crewmember is an expert in their specialized area, there is no difference between departments or divisions in mission accomplishment. That is a true team -- working to achieve the common goal and succeed in all they endeavor to do," said Zieser. "Earning the Battle -E is a reflection of the crew's hard work and the leadership of the chiefs and the officers over the past year," said Hildreth. According to Rear Adm. Jeffrey Cassias, Commander, Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet, the award reflects hard work and determination of the respective crews. "Each crew member of an award winner can be justifiably proud of their contribution to improve Pacific submarine force readiness. I am extremely proud of your outstanding performance," said Cassias. In addition to Pearl Harbor-based submarines, other submarines homeported throughout the Pacific were selected for the Battle-E award from their respective squadrons. USS Corpus Christi (SSN 705), an attack submarine homeported in Guam under Submarine Squadron Fifteen, as well as ballistic missile submarines belonging to Submarine Group Nine in Bangor, Wash., USS Pennsylvania (SSBN 735), Submarine Squadron Seventeen, and USS Nevada (SSBN 733), Submarine Squadron Nineteen, were also awarded the Battle-E. Submarine Squadron Eleven's attack submarine USS Topeka (SSN 754), homeported in San Diego, Calif., was also selected for the award. The Battle-E award recognizes sustained superior performance in all areas of combat readiness. As part of the competition, ships compete for command excellence in four combat areas: maritime warfare, engineering/survivability, command and control, and logistics management. To receive the nod for battle efficiency, a ship must excel in all four areas.