In July 2016, the Commanding Officer, the Chief of the Boat, and four crew members of the USS North Carolina SSN 777, nicknamed the “Tarheel Boat,” visited North Carolina to promote on-going ties between the SSN 777 and its namesake state. In meetings with civic leaders and friends of the Navy in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and Wilmington, Commander Gary Montalvo expressed appreciation on behalf of the crew for the state's support and spoke of the importance of maintaining a strong bond between the Boat and its namesake state.

As a result of that visit, the SSN 777 Club formed to support the crew and families of the 777 in a consistent and purposeful manner. Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, the home-port of the 777, is far away. The SSN 777 Club wants to insure that there remains a proud and vibrant relationship between the citizens of North Carolina and our namesake nuclear-powered submarine.

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See local coverage of the 2016 namesake visit.