First Aussie to earn USN submariners’ ‘Dolphins’

The US Navy qualified the first Royal Australian Navy officer on a nuclear-powered Virginia-class submarine at Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan on 12 December 2024.

CAPTION: Rear Admiral Chris Cavanaugh, commander, Submarine Group 7, pins US Navy Submarine Warfare Device ‘dolphins’ on a Royal Australian Navy lieutenant commander during a pier-side quarters for the Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS Vermont (SSN 792) in Japan. US Navy photos by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Daniel G. Providakes.

In a pier-side ceremony, Rear Admiral Chris Cavanaugh, commander, Submarine Group 7, awarded the first US Navy Submarine Warfare Device earned by a Royal Australian Navy submariner to an un-named Aussie lieutenant commander.

Identified only by his christian name, James earned the warfare device, or “dolphins”, while embarked aboard the Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS Vermont (SSN 792) during a deployment to the US 7th Fleet area of operations.

Rear Admiral Cavanaugh said it was always an honor to pin dolphins on a sailor’s uniform and welcome them into an elite community of undersea warfighters.

“This was an historic pinning, but it is only the first of many to come,” Rear Admiral Cavanaugh said.

“Today’s pinning represents the strength of the alliance and our continued progress under the AUKUS agreement.”

In order to qualify, a sailor must exhibit a strong understanding of all submarines systems, compartments and equipment.

Lieutenant Commander ‘James’ had already qualified on a diesel-electric Collins-class submarine but was the first Royal Australian Navy submariner to qualify on a nuclear-powered Virginia-class submarine.

“All of the extra sensors that the boat has, and the fact that we can remain deployed for so long at such high speeds will be game changing for Australia,” James said.

“Qualifying is a culmination of a lot of hard work and a lot of support from the crew.

“I’m incredibly thankful to everybody who has supported me through this adventure.”

There are currently more than 100 Royal Australian Navy officers in the US Navy submarine training pipeline or assigned to US Virginia-class SSNs.

USS Vermont, part of Submarine Squadron 1, has been on deployment since it departed its homeport of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, on 8 August, and arrived in Yokosuka, Japan, on 9 December for a port visit.

Submarine Group 7 directs forward-deployed, combat capable forces across the full spectrum of undersea warfare throughout the Western Pacific, Indian Ocean, and Arabian Sea.

 

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