Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine USS Newport News (SSN 750) returned from a regularly scheduled deployment to Naval Station Norfolk, June 10.

Newport News is commanded by Cmdr. Patrick Clark, who became the submarine's 14th commanding officer August 29, 2014. While deployed, the crew of Newport News executed the Chief of Naval Operations' Maritime Strategy in supporting national security interests and Maritime Security Operations.

"Morale is good," said Clark. "I think because we were able to do so much, [and] do some exciting operations; we were really able to involve the crew and they knew what benefit we're providing to the operational commander and they got really motivated to do that. One thing that helped morale is how far we traveled. We traveled approximately 40,000 nautical miles over the course of six months; [we] went as far as above the Arctic Circle, and south of the equator."

Fast attack submarines like Newport News have multi-faceted missions. They use their stealth, persistence, agility and firepower to deploy and support special force operations, disrupt and destroy an adversary's military and economic operations at sea, provide early strike from close proximity, and ensure undersea superiority.

"It was a unique deployment and we operated in two areas of operation, both in the European theater as well as the Central Command theater," said Clark. "We supported operations in the [U.S.] 5th Fleet and 6th Fleet."

During deployment the submarine steamed about 40,000 nautical miles, nearly the equivalent of circumnavigating the globe twice. The ship also conducted port visits to Haakonsvern, Norway; Gibraltar, UK; Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean Territory; and Souda Bay, Greece.

Newport News has a crew complement of 18 officers and 148 enlisted Sailors. The submarine, the eighth ship to bear the name of the Virginia shipbuilding city, is 360-feet-long, displaces 6,900 tons of water, and can travel in excess of 20 knots.

For more information, visit http://www.navy.mil/, http://www.facebook.com/usnavy/, or http://www.twitter.com/usnavy/.

For more news from Commander, Submarine Forces, visit http://www.navy.mil/ or http://www.sublant.navy.mil/.