Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Hunter Harwell, Navy Office of Community Outreach Petty Officer 3rd Class Xavier Mowrey, a native of Youngsville, serves the U.S. Navy assigned to USS Tennessee, homeported at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay.

KINGS BAY, Ga. – Petty Officer 3rd Class Xavier Mowrey, a native of Youngsville, serves the U.S. Navy assigned to USS Tennessee, homeported at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay.

As a submariner, Mowrey is part of a small percentage of Navy personnel continuing a 125-year tradition of service under the sea to help ensure Americans’ safety. Mowrey graduated from Youngsville High School in 2021.

The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Youngsville.

“I come from a really small town that taught me the importance of having a hard work ethic,” Mowrey said. “In the Navy, our workload is insane, and you have to have a strong work ethic to get through it. With my job, it is also important to work hard because we are in charge of a bunch of important systems.”

Mowrey joined the Navy three years ago. Today, Mowrey serves as an electronics technician (submarine navigation).

“I joined the Navy to travel and for the educational benefits,” Mowrey said. “So far, I’ve been to Scotland on deployment.”

Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay is the homeport of East Coast ballistic-missile and guided-missile submarines. These submarines are capable of conducting operations in the Atlantic, Arctic, Eastern Pacific, and Indian Oceans and the Mediterranean Sea. It is also the only Navy base with the capability to support the Trident II missile, the most sophisticated nuclear missile designed to be launched from a submarine.

Known as America’s “Apex Predators!,” the Navy’s submarine force operates a large fleet of technologically advanced vessels. These submarines are capable of conducting rapid defensive and offensive operations around the world, in furtherance of U.S. national security.

There are three basic types of submarines: fast-attack submarines (SSN), ballistic-missile submarines (SSBN) and guided-missile submarines (SSGN).

Fast-attack submarines are designed to hunt down and destroy enemy submarines and surface ships; strike targets ashore with cruise missiles; carry and deliver Navy SEALs; conduct intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions; and engage in mine warfare. The Virginia-class SSN is the most advanced submarine in the world today. It combines stealth and payload capability to meet Combatant Commanders’ demands in this era of strategic competition.

The Navy’s ballistic-missile submarines, often referred to as “boomers,” serve as a strategic deterrent by providing an undetectable platform for submarine-launched ballistic missiles. SSBNs are designed specifically for stealth, extended patrols and the precise delivery of missiles. The Columbia-class SSBN will be the largest, most capable and most advanced submarine produced by the U.S. – replacing the current Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarines to ensure continuous sea-based strategic deterrence into the 2080s.

Guided-missile submarines provide the Navy with unprecedented strike and special operation mission capabilities from a stealthy, clandestine platform. Each SSGN is capable of carrying 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles, plus a complement of heavyweight torpedoes to be fired through four torpedo tubes.

Strategic deterrence is the nation’s ultimate insurance program, according to Navy officials. As a member of the submarine force, Mowrey serves aboard a platform capable of bringing the fight to enemies in defense of America and its allies.

The U.S. Navy is celebrating its 250th birthday this year.

According to Navy officials, “America is a maritime nation and for 250 years, America’s Warfighting Navy has sailed the globe in defense of freedom.”

With 90% of global commerce traveling by sea and access to the internet relying on the security of undersea fiber optic cables, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity of the United States is directly linked to recruiting and retaining talented people from across the rich fabric of America.

“I am most proud of earning back-to-back Battle Efficiency Awards for USS Tennessee and the Omaha Award,” Mowrey said. “Earning the Battle Efficiency two years in a row means we are the best boat on this coast. When we won in 2023, it was the first time, and not a lot of boats get it back-to-back. The Omaha Award is an award given out by the people of Omaha to the best strategic command. Our command winning that means we are the best boomer in the fleet currently.”

Mowrey serves a Navy that operates far forward, around the world and around the clock, promoting the nation’s prosperity and security.

“I originally joined the Navy to help people, and being aboard USS Tennessee allows me to help people and give back to the community,” Mowrey said.

Mowrey is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible.

“I want to thank my dad, Jason Mowrey, for helping me a lot, especially as a new parent,” Mowrey added. “I also want to thank my grandfather, James Upton, for being a big inspiration. He was a Marine in Vietnam. Of course, I also want to thank my wife, Dakota Hensel, for supporting me the whole time. We were together before I joined and went into the Navy. She is also a fantastic mom.”