Cheyenne was the first ship to launch Tomahawk missiles in Operation Iraqi Freedom[6] under the command of CDR Charles Doty. Cheyenne would go on to successfully launch her entire complement of Tomahawks, earning a "clean sweep" for combat actions in the final three months of a nine-month deployment. This dubbed her "First To Strike".
USS Cheyenne was the final Los Angeles–class submarine built. Following the construction of USS Cheyenne, Newport News began preparation for construction of the Virginia-class submarine.
History
Between 25 and 27 March 2006, a series of anti-submarine warfare exercises were held in Hawaiian waters that included USS Cheyenne; Carrier Strike Group Nine, the nuclear-powered attack submarines Seawolf, Greeneville, Tucson, and Pasadena, as well as land-based P-3 Orion aircraft from patrol squadrons VP-4, VP-9, and VP-47.[7][8]Cheyenne deployed to the western Pacific in 2015-16,[9] and earned the Battle Efficiency “E” award.[10] She visited Busan, South Korea on deployment in 2017,[11] and participated in the biennial Keen Sword exercise with the Japan Self-Defense Forces while on deployment in 2019.[12] In 2020, she deployed to the Indo-Pacific for the last time from Pearl Harbor.[13]
In June 2021, Cheyenne shifted her homeport from Pearl Harbor to Groton, CT, joining Submarine Squadron (SUBRON) 12.[14]Cheyenne moved to Naval Submarine Base New London in order to prepare for upcoming refueling and maintenance intended to extend the service life of the submarine by 10 years.[15]
USS Cheyenne enters the new Super Flood Bason for Portsmouth Naval Shipyard’s Dry Dock 1
Cheyenne arrived in November 2021 at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine to begin a service-life extension program (SLEP) then expected to take 30 months and cost $315 million.[16] In December 2021, Submarine Squadron 2 was re-established at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and Cheyenne was transferred to this new command.[17]Cheyenne is the first of an anticipated seven Los Angeles-class subs to undergo this SLEP[18] and was also the first vessel in April 2022 to dock in Portsmouth Naval Shipyard's newly improved Dry Dock 1 using the Super Flood Basin.[19]
On February 10, 2025 Fleet Forces Command announced that Cheyenne had reached a major milestone in her SLEP refit. With her reactor refueling, external hull refitting, major external repairs, structural inspections, and replacements of external mechanical and electrical systems complete, Cheyenne was successfully launched from drydock and put back to sea on February 6.[20] Commander Mark Rostedt relieved Kyle Calton as commanding officer on July 11, 2025.[21]Cheyenne departed Portsmouth for sea trials December 12, 2025[22][23] and she returned December 21.[24]
On December 23, 2025 the U.S. Department of War announced that Portsmouth Naval Shipyard had successfully completed the SLEP refueling overhaul for U.S.S. Cheyenne, marking the first submarine to undergo an SLEP overhaul.[25] This overhaul is expected to extend Cheyenne's service life beyond 44 years. The SLEP program has selected an additional five Los-Angeles class boats as strong candidates for SLEP, contingent on budget approval in FY2026, in order to fill the readiness gaps created by construction delays for the Block IV and Block V Virginia-class boats that were slated to replace the last of the Los Angeles-class boats. In addition to the complex and hazardous task of refueling Cheyenne's reactor, the boat also underwent hull preservation, propulsion plant modernization, sonar and combat system upgrades, and habitability improvements. This included integrating the latest AN/BQQ-10 sonar processing systems and AN/BYG-1 combat control suites used on Virginia-class boats with Cheyenne's systems, aligning her sensor and weapons capabilities with the most modern platforms in the fleet.[26]
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