Following are excerpts from a journal written by Josh Smith, 11 Connects news anchor, during his recent assignment on the U.S.S. Greeneville based at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii as well as video journal entries. Check back each day for a new entry!
Join Josh Smith, Phillip Murrell, 11 Connects and TriCities.com as we explore the U.S.S. Greeneville...
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Fourteen years after it joined the United State’s Navy Pacific Fleet, the U.S.S. Greeneville, Tennessee is about to deploy on a critical new mission: to defend American interests in one of the world’s most volatile regions.
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Named for Greeneville, Tennessee in 1989 after a remarkable 3 month grassroots campaign, the U.S.S. Greeneville will launch this fall on its 6th deployment. The specifics of the mission are top secret; the Navy only will say the submarine will be assigned to the “western Pacific.” There, the U.S.S. Greeneville and its crew of 140 men likely will patrol the depths off the coasts of some of the world’s political hotbeds, gathering information and standing ready for orders as the Navy’s most state-of-the art warship.
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NEW CONTENT!! Follow Josh and Phillip on their journey by checking out their blog - updated daily from now until the hour-long special airs on Thursday, March 4 at 7 p.m. View the blogs by clicking on the links to the right.
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11 Connects news anchor Josh Smith and digital journalist Phillip Murrell received clearance from the U.S. Navy to go to sea with the submarine. In mid-January, they traveled to Peal Harbor, Hawaii, home base for the U.S.S. Greeneville and the rest of the Pacific Fleet. Accompanied by Dale Long, circulation manager for The Greeneville Sun and President of the U.S.S. Greeneville Inc., they lived alongside the crew, sharing their food and their cramped living space and observing as the primarily young group off men endured a grueling training schedule.
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View all three stories on the U.S.S. Greeneville from 11 Connects on the video player below: