In the News
This 10 minute video provides some detail about the USS VERMONT, first of the Block IV Submarines. Click on the red button.
For anyone that missed the Super Seniors segment on Vermont's WCAX with an interview of VSG member Captain Albert Perry (USN ret.), wife Marcia, and sons Kenneth and David, click on the picture above of Al. The VSG is proud of our association with the Perry family and appreciate Joe Carroll's support for producing a segment in their honor.
Vermont native VADM Douglas Perry assumed command of the Second Fleet and associated Directorships on 12 JAN in Norfolk. Doug has been actively involved with Big Sugar from Christening, Commissioning, Change of Commands, etc. and father Captain Al Perry (USN Ret.) still serves with the VSG. A CoC Ceremony video from the deck of the Harry S. Truman can be viewed by pressing the button on the left. VERMONT Strong, Freedom & Unity!
Although not pictured in the article, the USS VERMONT was the newest Virginia Class submarine participating in the exercise. This builds on the experience gained by USS VERMONT sailor's participation in the Black Widow exercise in the North Atlantic in 2021. Go Big Sugar!
A Congressional delegation led by Chairwoman Elise Stefanik, a senior Member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) and House Armed Services Committee (HASC) tours Big Sugar in Pearl Harbor. Click the link below to read the full event coverage and scroll down to see the delegation on the brow of the USS VERMONT
Congratulations to Vermont's own RADM Douglas Perry. Click on the picture below to read about his Presidential nomination to Vice Admiral with responsibility for the Navy's 2nd Fleet.
The USS VERMONT Support Group supported by the National Guard & Veterans Affairs Caucus hosted USS VERMONT Day on April 18th, 2023 at the State House, marking the 3rd anniversary of the Commissioning of the USS VERMONT (SSN 792). Over 80 Senators and Representatives signed on to a House Concurrent Resolution honoring the USS VERMONT which was read on the floor of the House at the start of Tuesday's session. The VSG held a Press Conference in the Cedar Creek Room (link below to the WPTZ segment) wherein we thanked the Legislators for their support, re-introduced the VSG, showed a brief video about the USS VERMONT, and heard remarks from a variety of supporters. The event ended with the announcement of dates for the Vermonters Weekend when tours of our namesake boat would be available to Vermont residents. The announced dates subsequently changed due to unforeseen developments with the sub's preparation, and were reset to May 20th and 21st. The tours will mark the last chance for Vermonters to see the USS VERMONT up close and personal before she moves to her new home port in Pearl Harbor shortly after the tours. Fair winds and following seas USS VERMONT!
VSG Member and former Naval Officer Paul Giuliani, January 23, 1944 - July 12, 2022. Our condolences to his family and friends. He'll be missed. Paul's obituary can be accessed below.
Listen to the Christmas Eve Morning 2021 Interview of VSG's Gary Frymire and Rod Brigham conducted by WDEV Guest Host Pat McDonald.
The high point of the exchange was a "Christmas on Board" memoire provided by VSG member and retired U.S. Navy submarine Captain Albert Perry.
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Click on the image above for coverage of the rehearsal of the crew of the USS VERMONT for the 28 August Commissioning Ceremony.
XO Joshua Ludwig, COB Jim Brownson holding the Sub-in-a-Jug, and CO Charles Phillips take possession of the gift from the VERMONT SSN 792 Commissioning Committee in March of 2021 with the brow to the USS VERMONT in the background.
WCAX attended the August 4th meeting of the VERMONT SSN 792 Commissioning Committee and the USS VERMONT Support Group in the Pavilion in Montpelier. Their televised segment can be seen by clicking the submarine image.
More images from the meeting can be found on our Events page.
Click on the arrow to hear Pat McDonald's interview of USS VERMONT Support Group's Gary Frymire and USS VERMONT Commissioning Committee's Bill Mattoon with updates on the boat, the upcoming Commissioning events, and the VSG's long term role building connections between our namesake boat, sailors, and families with Vermonters, Vermont Associations and Businesses.
WCAX's "You Can Quote Me" Interview of the VERMONT SSN 792 Commissioning Committee's Debra and Steve Martin and the USS VERMONT Support Group's Gary Frymire, with Darren Perron, can be seen below.
WCAX caught up with Governor Phil Scott at Thunder Road in Barre. Whether you agree
with his comments or not, you have to give him a shout-out for his choice of ball caps!
Honoring the US Sailors on Eternal Patrol on Memorial Day, click above to read more about the engraved reef balls.
Click on the image to read the article, and note the USS VERMONT portrait on the wall in the Ward Room.
From CO's wife, Devon Phillips , on the VERMONT's first Anniversary: "225 days away from home, 210 days at sea, 140 outstanding families, 8 ports navigated, 3 times circled the Earth, 1 year in service. Happy USS VERMONT Day Big Sugar! Green mountain state, green mountain strong!" Click the link below for SUBLANT's FB Post
Pat McDonald from Vote for Vermont shared our March 16 Zoom Briefing presented by the Command of the USS VERMONT with her audience. If you haven't had a chance to see it, watch it here to learn about our namesake sub and her sailor's standard-setting performance in their first year.
Pat McDonald, Guest Host on WDEV's Vermont Viewpoint interviews Gary Frymire from the USS VERMONT Support Group on February 2nd. Click on the image to the right, then press play to hear the exchange.
WDEV Interview VSG - Frymire.mp4Pat McDonald and Ben Kinsley from Vote for Vermont welcomed VCC and VSG's Albert Perry and Gary Frymire for an update on the USS VERMONT and to learn about the USS VERMONT Support Group's mission and activities. Click on the image to hear the update.
Click on the picture above to see WCAX's coverage of the gifts presentation.
CDR Phillips shows his Plank Owner plaque to USS VERMONT crew members on the pier at Naval Submarine Base New London on July 9th
Some of the "Moms to Be" taking part in the shower were spouses of the USS VERMONT crew. Kudo's to Travelers, ConnectiCare, and the Navy for finding a way to keep this tradition alive amidst the current restrictions. Courtesy of WFSB, Channel 3 Eyewitness News in CT.
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Great image of our sister boat, the USS Montpelier, clearing the path for the USS Harry S. Truman. The Royal Canadian Navy Halifax-class frigate HMCS Ville de Quebec (FFH 332), right, the Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Montpelier (SSN 765), the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) and the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy (CG 60) transit in formation with a Royal Canadian Air Force CP-140 Aurora during a photographic exercise in the North Atlantic Ocean, May 31. The Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group (HSTCSG) remains at sea in the Atlantic Ocean as a certified carrier strike group force maintaining maritime stability and security, ensuring access, deterring aggression and defending U.S., allied and partner interests in support of USNORTHCOM's top priority of homeland defense. Image and caption courtesy of dolphin-news.com
VCC's Al Perry was on hand to honor Middlebury's own Ken Wilkins, 95, for his service 75 years ago on the USS Skate during WW II. Learn more about Ken's adventures next week on WCAX's Super Seniors.
vlc-record-2020-06-05-08h48m00s-Lt. Gov. Candidate Brenda Siegel and the USS Vermont-.mp3Click the arrow above to hear WDEV's Dave Gram speak with the VCC's Debra Martin and Gary Frymire for an update on the status of the USS VERMONT now that the April 18th Commissioning has occurred.
USS VERMONT, the first of 10 Virginia-class Block IV submarines, has been Commissioned on April 18th, 2020. The new class design diminishes production expense and enables the Navy to extend the time between maintenance pauses and deployments.
VCC's Rod and Karen Brigham celebrate the Commissioning of the USS VERMONT Saturday April 18th at 10am from their home in Georgia. Read the Times Argus article to find out how!
Video of The PCU VERMONT SSN 792 en route to the Naval Submarine Base New London in preparation for Commissioning April 18th at 10am. Courtesy of the Resident Good News Serving CT and RI
Interview by Pat McDonald and Ben Kinsley of VERMONT SSN 792 Commissioning Committee members
Due to the volume of ticket requests received, we were instructed by the U.S. Navy to disable our ticket request function effective February 21st. We suggest you contact your local VFW or American Legion Post to determine if they’ll be hosting an event streaming the Commissioning ceremony live from the Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, CT at 10am, April 18th. Check back later as additional details become available for other ways to view the Commissioning ceremony.
CDR Charles W. Phillips, III discusses design features of Virginia Class subs with Hank Buermeyers's class at the Hotel Coolidge in White River Junction
VCC's Debra and Steve Martin update WCAX on the USS VERMONT progress towards commissioning.
The Plank Owner plaques you'll see being produced by Maple Landmark are presented to each member of the subs first crew at Commissioning, where they become official Plank Owners of the USS VERMONT SSN 792.
The VERMONT SSN 792 Plank Owner Plaques segment on WCAX showing their assembly by Maple Landmark in Middlebury demonstrates the pride and commitment of Vermonters. What may not have been apparent is that many of the design elements for the plaques were contributed by Vermont craftsmen and companies including forester Ed Larson from Montpelier; The A Johnson Company in Bristol; ExactBuilt in Underhill; Vermont Quarry Corporation in Danby; Proctor Marble Company; Granite Industries of Vermont in Barre; Vermont Natural Coatings in Hardwick; and from outside the state, General Dynamics Electric Boat and milcoins.com. Designed by the VERMONT SSN 792 Commissioning Committee in partnership with Mike Rainville at Maple Landmark, the plaques have several unique characteristics that serve to represent Vermont and the enduring relationship between the state and our namesake submarine crew that “brings life to SSN 792.”
From Seven Days, January 22nd, 2020
Al Perry and Rod Brigham step into the WVMT studio and talk to Marcus and Kurt on The Morning Drive. Al and Rod tell us about the USS VERMONT and what their Committee is doing to prepare for the Commissioning ceremony.
SSN792 Vermont _ Sponsor Dinner Video.mp4Released by Electric Boat, this 5 minute video begins with a short history of prior ships with the USS Vermont name, and gives perspective on the PCU VERMONT from crew members who'll operate it as well as EB technicians who built it.
Float our boat
MONTPELIER — A year out from launch, there is growing momentum to celebrate the commissioning of the nuclear-attack submarine USS VERMONT (SSN 792).
The Virginia-class fast-attack submarine, the third Navy vessel to bear the state’s name, is under construction at General Dynamic Electric Boat in Groton, Connecticut, and is due to be commissioned in a ceremony about this time next year.
Enter the commissioning committee of the USS VERMONT, which is comprised of 27 members from across the state. The committee has been working on organizing Vermont’s participation in the ceremony and is calling on Vermont businesses to contribute products. The group is also organizing a series of events with a “Made in Vermont” theme, before and during the commissioning of the submarine in Connecticut.
To make it all happen, there is a $250,000 fundraising goal to pay for events and commemorative memorabilia.
Events planned by the commissioning committee include: a barbecue dinner for the crew; lunch for boat sponsor Gloria Valdez, a former deputy assistant secretary of the Navy; and a reception for sponsors, donors, ship builders and VIPs. There will also be a platform breakfast before commissioning ceremony and a post-commissioning reception.
The sub’s commissioning is a golden marketing opportunity for Vermont companies to market their products, says Debra Martin, chairwoman of the commissioning committee.
“Vermont is known for its outstanding quality of products from food to lumber and wool and everything in between,” Martin says. “We want this celebration to be uniquely Vermont and for every aspect of it to resonate ‘Vermont’. That’s why we want to make sure that any Vermont business that wants to participate has the opportunity to do so.”
There are already products being developed to promote the commissioning of the submarine, including a collaboration with Vermont Teddy Bear which has designed a T-shirt for a Dewey Bear, named after Admiral George Dewey, the Montpelier-born admiral who helped win the 1898 Spanish-American War. It is already on sale through the www.ussvermont.org.
In appealing for funding support, Martin notes that the committee is responsible for raising money for all events associated with the commissioning ceremony while the Navy pays for the commissioning of the submarine.
To contact Debra Martin, call 802-249-0487 or email ussvermont792@gmail.com. To learn more about the USS VERMONT, visit www.ussvermont.org.
Coverage of the USS VERMONT and an interview with Committee Member Bill Mattoon begins approximately 8 minutes into the YCQM segment.
Committee member Bill Mattoon was honored for 50 years qualified in Submarines with membership in the Holland Club of the United States Submarine Veterans, Inc.
Sponsor Gloria Valdez, CDR Henry Roenke, Sailor of the Year Jahlaani Campbell and Vermont's own Ian Blackmore wetting the boat with water from Lake Champlain
Sponsor Gloria Valdez on hand for the floating of the VERMONT
The flooding of the dry dock begins
*** VERMONT (SSN 792) NEWS RELEASE ***
Groton — Electric Boat christened the Virginia-class attack submarine VERMONT (SSN 792) on Saturday. The Vermont is the 19th submarine in the class and first in the 10-boat Block IV that are designed to reduce loss of availability due to major scheduled maintenance.
The crew preparing for the July 3 Independence Day celebrations in Montpelier.
The first USS Vermont, port view, Brooklyn Navy Yard, possibly during the Spanish-American War, 1898. A former ship of the line, Vermont served as stores and receiving ship for 37 years and was struck from the Navy list in 1901 and sold the following year.
One hundred years ago, January 24th, 1919, the battleship USS Vermont steamed into port in Brest, France. Vermont has a long heritage with the United States Navy, and will proudly celebrate the submarine USS VERMONT's commissioning to active duty in 2020.
USS Vermont SSN-792 Christening Video (30 second version)
