Sailors of USS Nebraska submarine visits Grand Island

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (KSNB) – Six sailors of USS Nebraska submarine traveled to central Nebraska on Wednesday.

The USS Nebraska SSNB 739 is the 14th submarine of the Ohio class of ballistic missile submarines and the second U.S. Navy ship to bear the name.

The sailors are guest from the Nebraska Admirals Association in Grand Island.

Hollie Klimek, member of Nebraska Admirals Association, said it was great to connect with the sailors.

“Be able to show them things that are native to Nebraska,” Klimek said. “Whether they had been here, being able to see what our state is about.“

The sailors began their day in Grand Island with a tour at Hornady Manufacturing and a tour with Raising Nebraska.

Mandy Sullivan, director of partnerships at Raising Nebraska, said they want the sailors to walk away knowing more about Nebraska.

“And what we do here, we literally feed the world,” Sullivan said. “We also talk about our natural resources as well, so they get to learn a lot about Nebraska.“

The sailors were later served lunch at the United Veterans Club in Grand Island.

“It’s been phenomenal coming from the west coast, Washington specifically,” said Lieutenant Junior Grade Supply Officer Caitlin Bollhorst.

The support they received on day one has been outstanding, Lt. Bollhorst expressed.

“It’s really wonderful to meet the locals of Nebraska,” she said. “Trying a Runza for the first time, it was really interesting. I am a big foodie and I love trying new things, so it was very great.“

Senior Petty Chief Officer AJ Whitten added he has enjoyed the interactions from the community.

“They fed us lunch, Nebraskans are awesome people,” Whitten said. “It’s cool to be here and meet everyone around here – just see some much support we’ve got from the local community.“

The sailors also visited the VA Medical Center in Grand Island.

They will head to Kearney and North Platte before heading back to Omaha – then back to their boat near Seattle, Washington.

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