City Still Waiting to Hear Update on New Vessel Named After Pasadena

The City still has not received an update on a new USS Pasadena.

Two months ago Pasadena Now reported that Mayor Victor Gordo extended a visit to the Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro, Mayor Victor Gordo extended an invitation to visit the City to discuss naming a new vessel after the City. 

The current USS Pasadena was commissioned on Feb. 11, 1989, but that submarine is set to be decommissioned in the near future, according to a letter Gordo wrote to Del Toro in January.

 Ship decommissioning usually occurs after a vessel has become too old or obsolete. The vessel is retired with honor from the country’s armed forces.  

Gordo and Congresswoman Judy Chu reached out to Del Toro via phone to request the new USS Pasadena submarine in January. 

“I am writing to thank you for the phone call that was held last week with Congresswoman Judy Chu to discuss the City of Pasadena’s request for a new USS Pasadena submarine to be commissioned, as our current submarine is set to be decommissioned in the not too distant future,” Gordo wrote in the Jan. 25 letter.

Three ships have been named after the City, a cargo ship used in 1918 and 1919 and a light cruiser from 1944 to 1950 and the current submarine. 

“As you are aware, we have supported the USS Pasadena Foundation in the past, and look forward to continuing to do so in the future,” Gordo said. “The USS Pasadena Foundation stands ready to “foster” the USS California as we await the commissioning of a new USS Pasadena. 

Del Toro has been focused on the Navy’s infrastructure problems. 

Last month the Secretary of the Navy asked for a multi-year plan to address the department’s most pressing infrastructure problems and identify long-term priorities. 

Navy and Marine Corps infrastructure has been neglected “for decades across different types of administrations,” The Secretary of the Navy told reporters in San Diego.