CEAS Alumnus Caldwell Climbs US Navy Ranks

Three years ago in November of 2012, Commander Dan Caldwell, a 1994 CEAS electrical engineering graduate, took on the U.S. Navy position as Prospective Commanding Officer for the Navy submarine  John Warner (SSN 785). On August 1, 2015 the U.S. Navy commissioned USS John Warner SSN 785 (formerly PCU—pre-commissioning unit), with Caldwell in command.  Laura Caldwell, his mother and long-time faculty member for the Mechanical Engineering Technology program, attended the ceremony.

Caldwell has over 22 years of navy experience on four U.S. Navy submarines, including John Warner, and has leveraged his leadership capabilities as Division Officer, Department Head, Executive Officer and now as Commanding Officer. 

Before reporting aboard John Warner, Caldwell underwent an 8-month intensive training pipeline including submarine tactics, propulsion plant operations, as well as extensive training in command leadership. Commander Caldwell has been the chief trainer and crew supervisor for John Warner since the crew’s initial formation in November of 2012. 

USS John Warner (SSN 785) has been operating at sea and conducting initial sea trials since May, 2015. The crew then reported aboard and has underwent comprehensive classroom training, simulations and sent personnel to other submarines in order to prepare for sea operations. Caldwell speaks on behalf of the submarine’s operational performance since then, “We have used this time at sea to conduct training on the central submarine force mission areas, which include:

• Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW), 
• Anti-Surface Ship Warfare (ASuW), 
• Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAM) cruise missile strikes
• Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR)

What distinguishes USS John Warner from other U.S. Fast Attack submarines is its enhanced stealth and improved sensor suite. This accounts for its ability to operate undetected for extended periods of time and accomplish a widespread diversity of missions.

Speaking from his engineering roots, the CEAS electrical engineering alumnus, Dan Caldwell, explains the power plant of USS John Warner SSN 785, “The nuclear reactor provides the propulsion and electricity needed to run the ship. This allows us to operate submerged essentially indefinitely. We are capable of making our own water and oxygen from seawater, so the only limitation is the amount of food that we can store on board.” 

Caldwell elaborates on the advantages of the fast attack submarines, “The Virginia Class fast attack submarines are smaller and more maneuverable than the 560-foot long ballistic missile submarines. USS JOHN WARNER is slightly longer than a football field, measuring at 377 feet. The additional maneuverability makes it more suited to operating on the front lines against our adversaries.”

Furthermore, Caldwell adds, “USS JOHN WARNER is the second VIRGINIA CLASS submarine to be built with two large diameter payload tubes in the bow instead of twelve smaller missile tubes.  Both are capable of carrying twelve TLAMs but the larger diameter tubes give JOHN WARNER the ability to carry additional payloads including underwater drones.”

The Virginia Class submarine is appropriately named after U.S. Senator John Warner as he initially enlisted in the Navy in WWII and went on to serve as, “a commissioned officer in the Korean War, as Secretary of the Navy during the Vietnam War and served in the Senate for 30 years where he was a staunch advocate for the military in general and the Submarine Force in particular” recalls Caldwell. 

Enduring stories such as U.S. Commissioning Officer and CEAS alumnus Dan Caldwell’s show the great potential of CEAS engineers’ mission and prosperity to engineer better.

Select for the digital USS John Warner commissioning publication. 

Select to hear Dan Caldwell, U.S. Navy Commissioning Officer of USS John Warner SSN 785 narrate CNN Story on the submarine's recent commissioning.