Gulfport native serves aboard fast-attack submarine USS Greeneville

Seaman Austyn Mundell of Gulfport, Mississippi, serves aboard the Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Greeneville, homeported at Naval Base Point Loma, the U.S. Navy Office of Community Outreach said. Mundell is an information systems technician (electronic warfare), joined the Navy one year ago and graduated from St. Martin High School in 2024, the office said.

“Being able to serve my country in the U.S. Navy means everything to me,” Mundell said in comments provided by the Navy. He said his father served in the Navy as a Seabee and encouraged him to join. Mundell also thanked his mother and Navy leaders for their support, according to the Navy release.

Navy officials described Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarines as the backbone of the submarine force for the past 40 years, with about 23 in service. Officials said fast-attack submarines hunt enemy submarines and surface ships; strike ashore with cruise missiles; deploy Navy SEALs; conduct intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; and engage in mine warfare. Greeneville is 360 feet long, 33 feet wide, equipped with 12 vertical launch system tubes for Tomahawk cruise missiles and is crewed by more than 140 enlisted sailors and officers, the Navy said.

The Navy is marking 250 years of service this year, and officials said strategic deterrence remains the nation’s ‘‘ultimate insurance program.’’ Navy officials also noted that about 90% of global commerce moves by sea and that undersea fiber-optic cables are vital to internet access, underscoring the service’s emphasis on recruiting and retaining personnel, the Navy Office of Community Outreach said.

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