The Navy is saying goodbye to one of its leading film stars.
The attack submarine Houston — which starred as USS Dallas in the 1990 hit "The Hunt for Red October" — took the first step towards its decommissioning Monday when it left its homeport of Pearl Harbor.
The attack boat is bound for Bremerton, WashingtonWash., where its crew will prepare for an August 26 decommissioning ceremony and spend the next year deactivating the sub and dismantling its components and systems, according to Submarine Force Pacific.
During Over its 33 years of service, the Los Angeles-class attack sub sailed on more than over 15 deployments and recently served as a training platform for other crews.
"The Houston is going to be sending off some outstanding Sailors," Senior Chief Sonar Technician (Submarines) Paul McCrory, the sub's chief of the boat, said in a Monday SUBPAC release. "Everybody has put their best foot forward. We've come through so much with the age of this ship, it's really hard to maintain after 33 years of active service. It's been special to watch the guys take advantage of being a part of what's going to be history."
The sub's departure was joined by submarine veterans and crewmembers' family and friends in Hawaii.
"It is a celebration of our time in Pearl Harbor," Cmdr. Scott McGinnis, the sub's skipper, said in the release. "You can see the energy and amount of people here who are just happy to be a part of the Houston family and celebrate the success."
