Preserving the Legacy of SSN-698 & CA-130
Join us in developing a monument to the submarine, cruiser, their namesake city and the shipyard that cared for them
The BREMERTON Monument team presented a display at theKitsap County Veterans Day celebration in Bremerton. We received our first brick order in honor of a former Cruiser BREMERTON crewmember.
Thomas Matthew “Matt” Ryan passed away on June 18, 2024. A retired U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander, Matt served his first year of commissioned service in USS BREMERTON (CA-130). A 1956 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Ryan served 20 years as a line officer, qualified for command of World War II-era submarines, and earned the Navy Commendation Medal during the Vietnam era. His naval career remained a defining influence throughout his life, later inspiring one of his novels, One Hell of a Shipmate. After retiring from the Navy in 1976, he built a successful career in insurance and public service, including terms as a Kitsap County Commissioner and chairman of the county Republican Party. He was a lifelong learner and community leader and is survived by his wife of 60 years, four sons, and extended family. Matt’s son, Eric, purchased a brick in honor of his father.
GDMS Donation presentation: Capt Alan Beam , CDMC Cris Addington, Garnett Kelly and Capt Jerry Logan
At the November 12 2025 Bremerton Olympic Peninsula Luncheon General Dynamics Missions Systems Port Orchard Garnett Kelly and Cris Addington donated $1300 to the USS Bremerton Monument. Receiving the donation was captain Alan Beam Commanding officer #3 and Captain Jerry Logan Commanding Officer #10 Chairman of the USS Bremerton Monument.
Submarine Reactor Compartment being prepared for shipment at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard.
Second and final nuclear reactor of the year packaged up and ready to be moved to Hanford!
Two submarines pass through the United States Navy Ship-Submarine Recycling Program each year. The Reactor Compartment Disposal process consists of defueling and removing the nuclear core, which is moved separately by rail to the Expended Core Facility at the Idaho National Laboratory. But because the reactor compartment (RC) itself is made mostly of lead shielding that underwent decades of neutron bombardment, the RC is treated as low-level hazardous waste and as such it cannot be recycled.
Barge board RC Compartment Awaiting transport pier side at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard
Instead, the entire RC is sliced out of the submarine, and the ends are capped. This uses the sub pressure hill itself to create a sealed container.
RC compartment barge departing PSNS in Rich Passage
The “package” is then put on a barge and moved about 700 miles from the naval yard near Seattle out to the Pacific, down to Oregon, then up the Columbia River to the Hanford Nuclear Site.
The sealed “package” is 34′ tall by 45′ long and weighs 1,680 tons. Lead shielding and minor radioactivity from decades of neutron bombardment classify the contents as low-level hazardous waste. Cobalt 60, which has a half-life of 6 years, is the dominant radioactive nuclide.
The package is then loaded onto a self-propelled modular transporter and dragged another 25 miles with giant “land tugs” into the Hanford Site, where it is placed in a huge pit known as Trench 94 with about 130+ other former reactor compartments. The pit is left open so satellites can see into it for treaty purposes, but the pit will eventually be filled with clay and cement.
Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Daryl Caudle congratulates the 17th Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON) John Perryman during the MCPON change of office ceremony at the United States Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C., Sept. 8, 2025. US Navy photo
Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy John Perryman took the helm as the Navy’s top enlisted sailor Monday during a change of command ceremony held in Washington, D.C. Perryman assumed the role less than one month after the Navy announced his selectionto be the 17th master chief petty officer of the Navy. As the top enlisted sailor, Perryman is responsible for advising Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle and advocating for the needs of the sea service’s enlisted force.
“Our Navy must be manned by world-class sailors led by the best warfighters at every level,” Perryman said. “You have my word — I will always fight for you and for the families who stand beside you.”
Perryman outlined his priorities in a video on Monday following the ceremony, demonstrating he is in lockstep with Caudle.
There is no one better suited to take over the helm as our Navy’s senior enlisted advisor than you,” Caudle said to Perryman during the ceremony. “Your priorities of sailors and families first, technical mastery at every level, and continuous development and talent management and my priorities of Foundry, Fleet, and Fight are mutually reinforcing, collectively exhaustive, and relentlessly enduring.”
Perryman follows MCPON James Honea, who has served in the role since Sept. 8, 2022. Honea will retire Friday after 38 years in the Navy.
Perryman enlisted in the service in 1994 and began his career as an electronics technician submariner with tours on USS Bremerton (SSN-698), USS Dolphin (AGSS-555) and USS Cheyenne(SSN-773). He also served as the command master chief on USS Hawaii (SSN-776), according to the Navy.
He previously served as the senior enlisted sailor of Submarine Force U.S. Pacific Fleet, Submarine Group Seven, in Submarine Force Atlantic and U.S. Strategic Command. Additionally, Perryman served as the senior enlisted advisor to Caudle while the pair led U.S. Fleet Forces Command.
The keel-laying ceremony for submarines is symbolic and includes welding the initials of the ship’s sponsor onto a steel plate. This plate is then mounted in a place of honor on the submarine once it’s completed, serving as a reminder of the ship’s official beginning.
USS Bremerton, SSN-698 keel laying took place on May 8, 1976 at the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corporation Groton, Connecticut.
The Ship’s sponsor, was Mrs. Helen Jackson, wife of Henry M. Jackson, US Senator from the State of Washington.
National Submarine Day falls on April 11. On that date in 1900, the United States government procured its first modern commissioned submarine, the USS Holland (SS-1)
NAVAL BASE POINT LOMA – A commemorative logo celebrating 125 years of U.S. Navy submarine service. The design features a blue and gold color scheme, representing the deep, unyielding waters where submariners operate and the excellence and honor they uphold. Six white stars symbolize the six classes and types of U.S. submarines—Los Angeles, Virginia, Seawolf, Ohio (SSBN), Ohio (SSGN) and Columbia—symbolizing the evolution of submarine warfare and technological advancement. Fifty-two blue stars honor the 52 submarines lost in World War II. At the heart of the design, the silhouette of a Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine braves rough seas, embodying the 125 years of resilience, stealth, and unwavering dedication the Submarine Force has provided to the U.S. Navy. (U.S. Navy photo illustration by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Aaron T. Smith — at Commander, Submarine Squadron 11 )
The Kitsap Great Give is today. The Great Give is an opportunity to donate to all of your favorite local causes at once. Please consider a donation to the USS Bremerton Monument.
USS Bremerton Monument The USS Bremerton Monument at Navy League Park is being built to recognize the importance of those who served on the USS Bremertons, the shipyard that cared for them, and the City of Bremerton who supported them. Donations to the Monument will aid in preserving the sail and building a new Bremerton Park.
We have developed a logo for the USS Bremerton Monument that incorporates and honors the City of Bremerton, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Cruiser USS Bremerton (CA-130). and USS Bremerton (SSN-698).
For more than 40 years, the USS Bremerton navigated the waters of the world, returning to PSNS on occasion to be readied for it’s next mission. Concurrently, the City of Bremerton navigated it’s relationship with PSNS for the benefit of our community and the US Navy. Together, the histories of the USS Bremerton, PSNS, and the City of Bremerton are uniquely intertwined like the flowing waters the USS Bremerton plied.
The origins of the BADFISH logo come from the artistic talent of Clint Ceralde while stationed aboard USS Bremerton SSN 698, where he served as a Quartermaster from 1992-1996. There he achieved the rank of QM2/SS. Inspiration can bring out your talent, as Clint puts it, “I did not have any prior graphics experience, except that I liked to draw.” He entered his idea in a command drawing contest for the boat’s softball team in 1993. Read the full article.
