SSN 680 Plan of the Day

REGROUPEX 20 - June 22-25, 2020 in Silverdale, Washington, is a go. You can put it on your schedule, and as soon as we sign a contract with the hotel, start making your travel arrangements.

At this point, it looks like we will be contracting with the Best Western Silverdale Beach to host REGROUPEX 20. As soon as we have a contract signed, we will know the final room cost and be able to start making reservations. That should happen the first week of October, but it does depend on you!

You need to complete the survey on the www.ssn-680.org website so we have an idea about how many rooms we need to block out at the Best Western. There will be details about the survey in the Familygram that will be mailed to everyone on the 23rd or 24th of September.

This is not a commitment one way or the other. It’s just a good guess about whether you are attending or not - you won’t be committed until you pay the registration fee, which should be around $100.00, plus a bit more for your spouse, but we haven’t nailed that down yet.

I’m expecting the reunion to be similar to REGROUPEX 17 in Orlando. We will have a hospitality suite (and an outdoor patio) for check in and a ‘mixer’ on Monday night. Name tags and hats will be provided, and we’ll have a big screen TV with a continuous slideshow of photos of the boat and crew from back in the day. Refreshing beverages and snacks will be provided, with ample opportunity for you to meet everyone attending, and start swapping sea stories.

Tuesday will be the first planned boat tour at the Trident Refit Facility. Given the location, I’d expect an Ohio-class boomer, but remember that even planned tours are subject to the needs of the Navy (liberty ports confirmed through Hobart!) so we’ll have contingency plans in place. The tour will include not only a boat (schedule allowing) but the Trident Refit Facility itself, including training, weapons maintenance, and, the crown jewel, the ship’s control simulator! Lunch will be provided for tour guests as it will take much of the day.

There is plenty to do in the area for those not on the tour - two different Navy museums, one specializing in undersea history! Scenic sites and local shopping opportunities abound as well. We will arrange a ladies day out with lunch and maybe something similar for those not interested in the boat tour.

Wednesday will be an open day, with a manned hospitality suite, at least until the evening, when we will arrange a Celebration Dinner to get all of us in one place at one time. A guest speaker or two, a good meal, and we will probably end the day remembering our shipmates and wives that have crossed the bar with a Tolling of the Bell Ceremony.

Thursday will be a day for some to head home, though some of us will stay for another day or two. If sufficient demand exists such that we can’t accommodate everyone on the Tuesday boat tour (there is a 30 person limit), then we will repeat the tour so everyone gets a chance to see the inside of the boat, ship’s schedule and individual mobility allowing.

That’s a quick snapshot to give you an idea of what you might be missing if you don’t make REGROUPEX 20. So start making plans to make the trip. There won’t be another reunion until the 2022-23 time frame, and it will be in the New London area.

Whatever your thoughts are - get to the website and complete the short attendance survey so we can start making plans!

There’s not a moment to lose!