Kings Bay submarine base gets new missile training center.

The Navy has unveiled a new training center at the Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base that will teach sailors to launch Tomahawk missiles from four subs that are being renovated.

The new training center is the first one built at Kings Bay since 1989 when the first Trident submarine arrived, said Capt. Tim Lindstrom, chief of staff for Submarine Group 10.

"This is an important milestone," Lindstrom said. "It's the beginning of a new mission for us."

Cmdr. Greg Ott, captain of the USS Florida, said the new mission for his boat is "the future of the submarine force."

The cost to refit the four boats is about $3.8 billion.

Besides its arsenal of 154 Tomahawk missiles, each of the four submarines will have a team of Navy SEALS or highly trained troops from other military branches that can conduct covert missions from a mini-sub attached to the larger sub's hull.

The Tomahawk missile has a range of 1,000 miles. The new Block IV missiles [, the newest generation of Tomahawk missiles,]will be able to be reprogrammed to change course in mid-flight to strike a different target, Navy officials said.

(6-3-05, The Associated Press.)