This Year’s First American Submarine Visit to Tromsø

The American submarine USS Albany (SSN 753) visited the Port of Grøtsund in Tromsø, Northern Norway, from May 13th to 17th.

"The submarine’s presence in the High North is a demonstration of the U.S. Navy’s continued commitment to NATO Allies and Partners in the region and the strong bond between the United States and Norway," writes the US Marine Corps Forces in Europe.

This is the first known US submarine call at the mentioned port this far in 2024.

"Tromso provides great support for the ship and crew in a strategic location," says Cmdr. Jon Padgett, commanding officer, USS Albany. 

More specifically, this is a nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine of the Los Angeles class. It is designed to conduct anti-submarine and anti-ship warfare, project power against land with Tomahawk cruise missiles and special forces, and carry out intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions.

Since Grøtsund became the receiving port for all allied reactor-powered vessels in 2020, US nuclear submarines have now visited the port at least 15 times, of which at least seven took place last year.

The USS Albanu called at Tromsø for the first time in April 2022. This time, it may have participated in Dynamic Mongoose 2024, NATO's annual exercise on advanced anti-submarine warfare in the High North. It took place from April 26th to May 10th in the ocean areas between Norway, Iceland, and the Faroe Islands and included American submarine participation.