JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C. –
The Naval Nuclear Power Training Command held a graduation ceremony Aug. 12, at Joint Base Charleston - Weapons Station.
Captain Thomas Bailey, Naval Nuclear Power Training Command commanding officer, addressed the graduating students of Class 1103 and their guests during the ceremony.
"Not only have our students gained a great deal of technical knowledge pertaining to their jobs, they have also gained the skills necessary to be successful in any profession," Bailey said.
The guest speaker, Capt. Eugene Sievers, Submarine Squadron 6 commanding officer, emphasized the hard work and dedication of the Sailors who were graduating and thanked the friends and family of the Sailors for their support, pointing out that the devotion of family is a more private form of sacrifice in serving the nation.
Machinist's Mate 3rd Class Keith Steele was recognized at the top graduate for the enlisted class, also known as the class honorman. The top officer graduate, Lt. Matthew Main, a visiting officer from the British Royal Navy, received the Vice Adm. Behrens award, which was established in 1986 to honor the first director of the Nuclear Power School.
All graduates of class 1103 will continue in the nuclear training pipeline by attending the six-month prototype curriculum in Charleston, S.C. or Ballston Spa, N.Y., before being assigned to duty onboard a nuclear powered aircraft carrier or submarine.
Students arrive at NNPTC for the initial training phase for officers and enlisted personnel selected for the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program. The school provides fundamental in-rate training and basic reactor plant theory needed to produce safe and trusted naval nuclear propulsion plant watchstanders.
Since the commissioning of the USS Nautilus in 1955 - the Navy's first nuclear powered vessel - Navy ships and submarines have steamed more than 140 million miles on nuclear power.
For more information about the Naval Nuclear Power Training Command and its history, visit NNPTC's official website at
https://www.netc.navy.mil/nnptc.