Pacific Buildup: Third fast-attack sub leaves U.S. for
Guam
East-Asia-Intel.com,
October 5, 2004
A third U.S. attack submarine will arrive in Guam in December to join two other
submarines that are part of a U.S. naval buildup in the western Pacific.
The submarine USS Houston will depart from its current home port of Bremerton,
Washington, near Seattle. It will join the USS San Francisco and USS City of
Corpus Christi.
All three vessels are Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarines that hunt and
kill enemy ships and submarines.
The shift in forces is part of the Pentagon's new force realignment designed
to give the U.S. Pacific Command more firepower to respond to any conflicts
in the Taiwan Strait or North Korea.
"Strategically, Guam's Central Pacific location offers significant savings
in both time and distance for submarines," Lt. Arwen Consaul, Guam Naval
Base spokeswoman, told Pacific Star and Stripes. "Pacific Fleet submarine
assets can be on station much quicker once stationed in Guam."