Inheritance, honor and service mean everything to Rob Lewis.
They define the Auburn man as someone who is loyal to his family, tribe, crew and country.
For nearly six years in the US Navy, Lewis was a “bubblehead,” a sonar technician on three nuclear-powered submarines. Lewis, the son of a professional soldier, lived and explored other lands and sailed around the world while in the Navy, using special skills and sharing camaraderie with his brothers in arms during the post Cold War era.
“It was a way for me to move forward in this world,” said Lewis, 48, a Muckleshoot Tribe, husband and father of four, and now a surveillance technician who protects the tribes’ property like he’s back on board Protect land from threats swirling in international waters.
“Being a veteran is a little different for me than it is for other people,” he said. “I still don’t see it as an identity or anything, but it was an experience that informed and shaped me.”
Smart and ambitious, Lewis left Auburn to learn a trade and find his way. Reading Tom Clancy’s books made him interested in submarine culture. True to his roots, he wanted to serve his tribe and his homonymous state by joining the navy in 1989. He longed to be part of the USS Olympia or USS Bremerton submarines, but was assigned to the USS Flying Fish and later. served on the USS Baton Rouge and the USS Sunfish.
It was an interesting job, said Lewis, mostly routine, at times intense.
“It’s its own world, it’s a small world,” he said of the submarine’s sworn company. “Once you’ve spent a few years with people underwater, you know everything about them.”
These relationships continue today, as does his dedication to helping and serving others.
Lewis lit up when he recently discovered the Navy was commissioning a new, state-of-the-art, rapid attack nuclear submarine in Norfolk, Virginia, the port where he was once stationed. Fascinated, he and Sonny Bargala, a respected Vietnam War veteran of the tribe, went with gifts to the ceremony on October 7th.
The newest Virginia-class submarine, USS Washington (SSN 787) shone during a ceremony aboard Naval Station Norfolk. The submarine is 377 feet long, 34 feet wide, can dive to depths greater than 800 feet, and operate underwater at speeds greater than 25 knots. It will operate without refueling for more than 30 years.
“It put together the best of all classes,” said Lewis of the new boat. “It’s beautiful … it’s professional and incomparable.”
The USS Washington is a flexible, multi-mission platform designed to carry out the seven core competencies of the submarine force: anti-submarine warfare; Anti-surface warfare; Delivery of special forces; Strike war; irregular warfare; Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; and mine warfare.
“As I have told the crew on many occasions, they are the most important part of the ship,” said the commander of the submarine, Gabriel Cavazos. “They give the ship its personality and fighting spirit. Without the occupation, Washington would not be the combat platform it was built for; But combine both and together we are the Blackfish. ”
Washington is the fourth ship in the US Navy and the first submarine to be named in honor of the state. The previous three ships were an armored cruiser (ACR 11) that served from 1905 to 1916, the Battleship (BB 47), a Colorado-class battleship launched in 1921 and sunk as a gun target in 1924 after construction was halted , and the battleship (BB 56) is credited with sinking more enemy tonnage during World War II than any other U.S. Navy battleship that served from 1941 to 1947.
Lewis and Bargala represented their tribe at the start-up. They gave the crew the Muckleshoot battle flag and two ornate paddles and gave the “boss” of the boat (COB) a personal box with an eagle feather.
It was like a tribal ceremony, a right of passage with an exchange of meaningful, powerful gifts, Lewis said. Many of the Navy’s nautical honors come from tribal traditions, he said.
“We wanted to represent our tribe and be part of it,” he said. “We wanted to repay that and return the honor.”
The USS Washington Patch symbolizes much of the culture and tradition of the Northwest and Native Americans, Lewis said, including images and art of mighty Mount Rainier and a black orca.
“That really appealed to me,” said Lewis.
The ceremony took place on the same pier on the exact same day that Lewis was honored and greeted 22 years ago before leaving his duty to go ashore.
“It took me a long way back,” he said. “I am proud and happy to be a part of it.”
U.S. Navy veteran Rob Lewis shows off the patch symbolizing the newest Virginia-class submarine, the USS Washington (SSN 787), which entered service Oct. 7. The patch contains images of the culture and arts of the Northwest and Native American people. MARK KLAAS, Auburn reporter