WHEREAS, The United States Navy submarine USS Olympia is paying a goodwill visit to the Puget Sound area, and a large contingent of its crew is calling on the vessel's namesake city for the first time since 1998; and

WHEREAS, The USS Olympia, based at Pearl Harbor under the command of Benjamin J. Selph, is a Los Angeles-class submarine launched in 1983 and commissioned in 1984, one of a new generation of nuclear powered attack submarines that boasted the most advanced technology of their time; and

WHEREAS, The Los Angeles-class submarine fleet has been updated and refitted, and remains a bulwark of our national defense, and 36 of the original 62 submarines remain in service, making it the single largest class of operating submarines in the world; and

WHEREAS, Each Los Angeles-class submarine is staffed by a crew of approximately 120, carries approximately 25 torpedoes, is capable of firing Tomahawk-class missiles, and can travel over 20 knots an hour, or 23 mph, surfaced or underwater, though top speed is classified; and

WHEREAS, The USS Olympia is named after the city of Olympia, just as other Los Angeles-class submarines are named after other American cities; and

WHEREAS, The USS Olympia is a storied name in the annals of Naval history and the submarine is the second vessel to bear the name, the first being the historic cruiser USS Olympia, the flagship of Commodore George Dewey at the Battle of Manila Bay in 1898, aboard which Dewey uttered the immortal words "You may fire when ready, Gridley" before attacking the Spanish fleet and today is the last surviving vessel of the famed Great White Fleet, now serving as a museum ship docked in Philadelphia; and

WHEREAS, The submarine USS Olympia has long been a point of pride for Olympia and all of Thurston County, the visits of its crew to the city are fondly remembered by community leaders and the office of the Secretary of State has maintained a close relationship with the vessel and its crew; and

WHEREAS, The submarine USS Olympia's lengthy record of service includes an historic 1998 transit of the Suez Canal, making it the first Pacific-based submarine to travel the length of the canal in more than 35 years; and

WHEREAS, The Navy's presence in the state of Washington includes Naval Base Kitsap, Naval Station Whidbey Island, Naval Station Everett, Naval Magazine Indian Island, and more than 100 supported Navy commands and units; and

WHEREAS, The United States Navy in the state of Washington employs more than 20,000 active duty personnel, 5,000 reservists, 15,000 contractors and 17,000 Navy civilian personnel, and there are more than 42,000 members of Navy families in the state and more than 55,000 retirees; and

WHEREAS, The Navy is one of the state's largest employers, infusing more than 5 billion dollars each year into the state's economy; and

WHEREAS, The USS Olympia is a vital component of a national defense structure that has helped prevent world conflict since WWII, and exemplifies the principle that a strong military offers the best guarantee of peace;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington State Senate recognize the important contributions of the submarine USS Olympia on its crew's visit to its namesake city; and that the Senate's high regard for the USS Olympia and its crew be extended to all who serve in the nation's armed forces; and that the crew of the USS Olympia be welcomed to Washington's capital with the respect and appreciation they deserve; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be immediately transmitted by the Secretary of the Senate to the Commanding Officer of the USS Olympia, the Secretary of the United States Navy, and the President of the United States.