Observing USS Wisconsin (SSBN 827) Day August 24, 2024

Wisconsin Inflatable Submarine 827 (WIS 827) rests high at The Highground

 Neillsville, WI (August 24, 2024) – In anticipation of USS Wisconsin (SSBN 827) Day, a group of veterans and citizens gathered at The Highground to read Governor Evers’ proclamation.  Along with them, the USS Wisconsin SSBN 827 Association’s 50-foot inflatable replica of the future USS Wisconsin, fondly known as WIS 827, was displayed overlooking Wisconsin at The Highground Veterans Memorial Park. 

 “Connecting the future submarine WISCONSIN with the citizens of Wisconsin is our goal,” said CAPT Jim Harvey, USN (ret), President of USS Wisconsin SSBN 827 Association. “The Highground Veterans Memorial Park whose mission is to ‘Honor, Educate and Heal, our Veterans,’ is a most beautiful setting and central to all in Wisconsin – and we thank them for allowing WIS 827 to visit and supporting all veterans.”

“NOW, THEREFORE, I, Tony Evers, Governor of the State of Wisconsin, do hereby proclaim August 27, 2024 as USS WISCONSIN (SSBN 827) DAY throughout the State of Wisconsin and I commend this observance across our state and to all our state’s residents, and request a “Minute of Recognition” on August 27, 2024, at 8:27 a.m., or 0827 military time, in acknowledgement.”

SSBN 827 is a ballistic missile submarine, under construction with anticipated Keel Laying Ceremony in 2025, and scheduled to join the fleet in the early 2030s as the second boat of the Columbia Class submarines. She will be the third United States Navy vessel named after the Badger State. The previous two were battleships that served collectively during World War I, World War II, Korea, the Cold War, and the Persian Gulf War.  Other Navy ships are named for cities in Wisconsin, including USS Green Bay (LPD 20) homeported in San Diego, CA, the future USS Beloit (LCS 29) and USS Milwaukee (LCS-5).

Wisconsin Inflatable Submarine 827 is an 1/11 scale model of the future USS Wisconsin submarine and was built using scaled down specifications of the actual submarine’s design.  “She might not have 16 ballistic missiles or a crew of 155 Sailors, but WIS 827 is a perfect representation of the future submarine and a very physical reminder to the citizens of Wisconsin of the great honor bestowed on our state with the naming of the USS Wisconsin (SSBN 827).”

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About the USS Wisconsin Association

To help support the exceptional men and women who will one day operate and maintain the future nuclear- powered ballistic missile submarine, USS Wisconsin, a group of Navy Veterans and Wisconsinites formed a tax exempt, not-for-profit organization incorporated in the State of Wisconsin in 2021. Their mission is to build and maintain a proud and active relationship with the citizens of Wisconsin and the Blue and Gold crews and families of SSBN 827 Wisconsin. Their objectives include:

• Encourage, advocate, and generate statewide support for the future USS Wisconsin (SSBN 827) throughout the life of this submarine and to educate the citizens of Wisconsin about their namesake submarine.

• Support the morale, well-being and recreation of the Blue and Gold crews and their families.

• Educate the crews about the beauty of Wisconsin and the heritage of previous vessels commissioned as USS Wisconsin.

• Support STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education for Wisconsin students by applying nuclear submarine operation principles as a focal point.

Additional information about the USS Wisconsin SSBN 827 Association can be found at www.usswisconsinsub.org.

Patrol Report for WIS 827 Deployment to Green Bay, WI on Friday 14 June 2024.

Thanks to Randy Engness, Commander of the USSVI West Lake Superior Base, we were invited to display WIS 827 at the WI VFW Convention at the Tundra Lodge & Water Park Resort in Green Bay, WI on Friday 14 June 2024.  

WI Veteran special events such as this VFW Convention is an ideal venue to build veteran alliances and supporters.

Gardie LaMarche, with me as his “naviguessor,” arrived in Green Bay on Thursday afternoon, after a stop at The Highground Veterans Memorial Park, near Neillsville, WI, for a meet & greet and tour.  We attended an VFW Awards Ceremony that evening and were introduced to the WI VFW leadership and several former submariners.

On Friday morning, we set up WIS 827 out in front of the Tundra Lodge main entrance next to a water and wildlife feature. We connected the WIS 827 inflation blower to a water feature 120 VAC electrical box at about 0730 and started getting visitor attention of the approximately 250 VFW convention attendees and arriving lodge guests.

At the VFW Convention morning break we had a number of attendees come out to observe WIS 827 and they discussed doing group photos during their convention noon break.

At about 1030 we lost power to our inflation blower from the water feature pedestal outlet.

We immediately went to the lodge front desk and asked to get their maintenance personnel to check to see about restoration of electrical power since we could not determine if we tripped their 120 VAC breaker or if there was a timer controller.  After waiting more than 15 minutes with no lodge assistance, we shifted power to our portable Honda Inverter.  However, after about 20 more minutes we lost the inflation blower again with the Honda Inverter still operating.  We assumed that our inflation blower was failing since we had experienced two independent episodes of inflation blower failure.

We contacted Steve Eisenhauer, former submariner, since Randy Engness was in a working group, to report our WIS 827 casualty and apologized for our “pulling off station” due to a material issue.

While driving back from Green Bay to my farm near Boyceville, I contacted our WIS 827 “Intermediate Maintenance Facility (IMF)” in Burnsville, MN to determine if they had an inflation blower in stock, which they confirmed a few minutes later.  Gardie dropped me off at the farm and I then drove to Landmark Creations facility and picked up a replacement inflation blower.  

Coming back out the twin cities going east on a late Friday afternoon , with construction lane closures over the Interstate 94 St. Croix  River bridge at Hudson, WI was an “adventure!

Changed out WIS 827 inflation blower at “oh-dark-thirty” in preparation for a 0530 “underway” Saturday 15 June for the Deke Slayton Air Fest at La Crosse Regional Airport (KLSE).

WIS 827 Greets Blue Angels in La Crosse, WI on 15 & 16 June 2024

With help from the Naval Sea Cadets of the La Crosse, WI Council of the Navy League, especially Tom Sweeney, Wisconsin Inflatable Submarine (WIS) 827 was displayed at the Deke Slayton Airfest 2024 with performances of the Blue Angels in the background! WIS 827 is only a 1/11th scale model of the future USS Wisconsin (SSBN 827) and enjoyed by the crowd.

Blue Angel diamond formation

Fat Albert

LCDR Tom Sweeney, U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps, La Crosse

Future submariners

USS WISCONSIN (SSBN 827) Association leads the way in Commissioning planning and early preparation

Association makes appearance at Naval Submarine League Annual Symposium & Industry Update

Crystal City, VA (November 7, 2023) – The USS WISCONSIN (SSBN 827) Association joined in the comradery and fanfare at the Naval Submarine League’s (NSL’s) Annual Symposium and Industry Update (ASIU) on November 7-8, 2023. The future submarine USS WISCONSIN (SSBN 827) is the second in class of the COLUMBIA (SSBN 826) Class submarines and will play a critical role in the nation’s defense as part of the nuclear deterrence strategic triad.

“The USS WISCONSIN (SSBN 827) Association is setting the standard and leading the way in Commissioning planning and early preparation”, said CAPT Tim Oliver, USN (Ret), Naval Submarine League’s Executive Director. “I’m delighted that the Association could join us at the Symposium! They are a model for Submarine Clubs – forming early and engaging potential donors to help support the future crews of USS WISCONSIN.”

L to R, CAPT Mark Parrella (DISTRICT of COLUMBIA (SSBN 826) Class Program Manager), Lisa Phillips (USS Wisconsin SSBN 827 Association Board of Directors), RDML Scott Pappano, PEO SSBN at the Naval Submarine League’s Annual Symposium and Industry Update in Crystal City, Virginia, November 2023.

In the finest of Navy traditions, a ship’s sponsor “gives a part of her personality to the ship” to bestow “good luck and divine protection.” Dr. Kelly Geurts is the ship’s sponsor and she looks forward to the shipbuilding milestones over the next decade. “While my official duties have not yet begun, I am excited to be a part of the USS WISCONSIN (SSBN 827) Association’s and the NSL’s events in Crystal City this week. I look forward to meeting the men and women in the Navy and in industry, both from Wisconsin and from the rest of the country, who are building the future USS WISCONSIN (SSBN 827) so I can be that much closer to the ship.”

L to R, Kathy DiMaggio (USS Wisconsin SSBN 827 Association Board of Directors), Dr. Kelly Geurts (Ship’s Sponsor), Lisa Phillips (USS Wisconsin SSBN 827 Association Board of Directors), CAPT Mark Parrella (DISTRICT of COLUMBIA (SSBN 826) Class Program Manager), The Hon Jim “Hondo” Geurts, former Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition at the Naval Submarine League’s Annual Symposium and Industry Update in Crystal City, Virginia, November 2023.

“The NSL ASIU provides our Association with a visible connection with industry, an opportunity to meet new supporters and get the word out about Wisconsin” said Ms. Lisa Phillips, a member of the USS WISCONSIN (SSBN 827) Association Board of Directors and an industry partner. The Badger State of Wisconsin has a rich heritage of shipbuilding to support the Navy and continues to make significant contributions to the nation’s defense, with nearly 350 businesses in Wisconsin providing goods or services in support of construction of COLUMBIA Class submarines. The Association has had great support from Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers and the Wisconsin legislature. Wisconsin State Representative Kevin Peterson, a retired submariner, successfully supported legislation to provide a small increment of funding for the USS WISCONSIN (SSBN 827) Association in the state’s bi-annual budget. According to Ms. Lisa Phillips, “our Association has used these funds to advance our objective of connecting the great people of Wisconsin with their future namesake submarine, the USS WISCONSIN (SSBN 827) – we are off and running!”

WIS 827 on 8/27 - Capital Square

A Navy Christening marks the transition from a mere hull to a ship with a name and spirit. It will be many more years before our submarine [SSBN 827] is christened, but on 8/27/2022 we were fortunate that the ship’s sponsor, Dr. Kelly Geurts, was in Wisconsin to help us bring a bit of Navy tradition to our celebration. We named our model - Wisconsin Inflatable Submarine (WIS) 827. The champagne shaped balloon used to christen WIS 827 contained water from Lake Superior and Lake Michigan.