Capt. Jason Grizzle, commander of Submarine Squadron (SUBRON) 12, under which Colorado operates, praised the crew’s successful deployment and welcomed them home “just in time for the holidays.”

“It’s always great to have a homecoming and see families reunited,” Grizzle said. “But to have one just in time for Christmas – seeing the joy and happiness on the pier today – it really emphasizes the sacrifice and commitment a submariner and their family makes to protect our nation’s interests.”

“Our submarines are unparalleled in the undersea domain, but submarines cannot execute their mission without the men and women who put in the work,” Grizzle added. “And they cannot operate without the love, support, and sacrifices their families make here at home - it’s truly a rewarding experience.”

Beam commended his crew for their performace on the submarine’s third deployment saying he is “happy to be home just in time for Christmas and I couldn't be prouder of my crew and our amazing families.”

During its deployment to the U.S. European Command area of responsibility, Colorado steamed nearly 36,000 nautical miles and made port calls to Grøtsund, Norway, and Rota, Spain. Thirty personnel earned their submarine warfare devices – commonly referred to as “dolphins” – during the deployment and one Colorado sailor had new baby.

Taylor Hartman, wife of Lt.j.g. Forrest Hartman, said she was “happy they could be home before the holidays to be with their families before partaking in the ceremonial “first hug” with her son Riker, 5, and daughter Charlie, 2.

“It means everything because I’m going to let my kids be the first one to hug him because they’ve been looking forward to it, said Taylor Hartman during the homecoming event. “My son has been doing a countdown everyday looking at the calendar - and being this close to Christmas, it’s better than any present.

SSN 788 was commissioned March 17, 2018 and is the fourth U.S. warship named after the state of Colorado. It has a length of 377 feet with a beam of 34 feet and a crew of more than 134 personnel.

The Virginia-class of nuclear-powered fast attack submarines are designed for a broad spectrum of open-ocean and littoral missions. Fast-attack submarines are multi-mission platforms enabling five of the six Navy maritime strategy core capabilities – sea control, power projection, forward presence, maritime security and deterrence. They are designed to excel in anti-submarine warfare, anti-ship warfare, strike warfare, special operations, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, irregular warfare and mine warfare. Fast-attack submarines project power ashore with special operations forces and Tomahawk cruise missiles in the prevention or response to regional crises.