CHENNAI: The US Navy’s USS Frank Cable (AS 40), the second Emory S. Land-class submarine tender, docked at Chennai Port on Tuesday, marking its second visit to India in the last three years. The previous visit was in August 2022 at Visakhapatnam.
The visit included a guided tour showcasing the ship’s mission and its technical capabilities.
"We have two such vessels and USS Frank Cable is likely to be decommissioned in the next 10 years," said Michael Rodriguez, Executive Officer (XO) of the ship.
Built by Lockheed Shipbuilding and Construction Company in Seattle and commissioned in 1979, USS Frank Cable was originally designed to service the US Navy’s nuclear-powered Los Angeles-class attack submarines. For more than a decade, the vessel operated from Charleston, South Carolina, supporting both attack and ballistic missile submarines.
Decommissioned in 1996, the ship was later reactivated and refitted to serve as the Seventh Fleet’s mobile repair and support platform in the Western Pacific, replacing the USS Holland. Since then, Frank Cable has become a familiar presence across the region, making port calls in cities from Brisbane and Singapore to Vladivostok and Subic Bay.
"We are submarine tenders and provide all services to our submarines. Anywhere in the world, the submarine can come to our side and we can provide everything to sustain the port," Rodriguez said.
The vessel specialises in replenishing submarines and surface ships at sea. It primarily operates to provide consumables, electricity, water, spare parts, medical facilities, mail, legal assistance and repair services to submarines and their crews. It also serves as an armoured depot by providing torpedoes and Tomahawk missiles to submarines.
He said the visit aims to reinforce the partnership. "Our friends in the Indian Navy have hosted us for several events. Today, members of our crew were at a college here and they were learning how to play cricket and also had a question-and-answer session with students there," he said.
The vessel will depart from the port on Thursday.