High school and college football teams around South Dakota are honoring the newly constructed USS South Dakota submarine.
This past weekend, all fourteen teams playing at the State High School Football Championships wore the official crest decal of the vessel on the back of their football helmets. And this coming weekend, South Dakota State University and the University of South Dakota will do the same when they clash on the gridiron in Brookings.
Lieutenant Tom Muenster is a retired naval officer who now volunteers with the USS South Dakota Commissioning Committee. He says the submarine crest logo represents a lot of hard work and pride.
"Those are actually helmet decals from the hardhats that were worn by the shipyard workers at General Dynamics Electric Boat, and also our sailors that were in the shipyard to help construct the new submarine," said Muenster. "So it’s a real connection, not only to our new namesake vessel, but also all the hard work of the shipyard workers that went into that."
The crest of the vessel, or logo of the ship, is made up of many images that represent South Dakota and its history. Included in the crest is Mount Rushmore, Coyotes, Pheasant Feathers, the South Dakota state flag, and more.
One hundred and thirty-four sailors will call the USS South Dakota home, and according to Muenster, it’s slated to be the most advanced weapons system to date in the United States Military. Included in its list of weaponry are tomahawk missiles that, if needed, can strike a target at 1,200 miles away. The USS South Dakota will also have a highly sophisticated way to propel the ship. Muenster says it’s similar to the caterpillar drive technology that was featured in the movie ‘The Hunt for Red October.’
It’s been seventy years since the state of South Dakota has had a namesake vessel. The last one was Battleship South Dakota, which was decommissioned in 1947. In February, the USS South Dakota will become an active vessel of the United States Navy by being commissioned into the fleet of the US Military.
To learn more about the USS South Dakota, click here.