Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo received a firsthand look at some of the technology used to train Sailors during a visit to the Surface Warfare Officers School (SWOS) on board Naval Station Newport Sept. 14.

During the visit to SWOS, she was accompanied by Capt. Dennis Boyer, the station commanding officer.

SWOS Executive Officer Capt. Kevin Meyers and Richard Callas, SWOS executive director, led the tour as the governor received a demonstration of the Full Mission Bridge trainer and a virtual tour of the Narragansett Bay using the system. The Navy uses the Full Mission Bridge simulator to train surface warfare officers in all aspects of shipboard navigation and seamanship with the capability to virtually recreate 77 ports worldwide.

"This technology allows officers of all ranks the opportunity to gain valuable experience in a cost- effective, expeditious and low risk manner that is invaluable to our mission at SWOS," said Meyers.

SWOS Newport trains over 3,000 students annually, employing 61 civilian employees from the local population.

"The Navy has strong ties to Rhode Island, specifically Newport, dating back to the 1800s," Callas explained. "Training programs have been in existence in some form or another since 1942 at this particular site, when we served as an engineering training school for boiler plant operations. Governor Raimondo's visit reflects the strong relationship between the state of Rhode Island and the Navy."

For more information about Surface Warfare Officers School, visit https://www.netc.navy.mil/centers/swos/.

To learn more about the Naval Education and Training Command, visit https://www.netc.navy.mil.

For more news from Naval Education and Training Command, visit www.navy.mil/.