Houston's namesake ship has been decommissioned after more than three decades in service.
The submarine USS Houston was decommissioned at a ceremony Friday at the Naval Base Kitsap Bangor. Capt. Michael Lewis, the 13th commanding officer of the Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine, also named SSN 713, was the keynote speaker at the event.
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"Today we are here to say farewell to USS Houston and allow her to pass the torch to the next generation of submarines," Lewis said. "It is with a sad and heavy heart that I am here, along with so many of her former shipmates, to give her our final thanks and honor a fast ship who sailed into harm's way time and time again, and that always brought her crew back home safe and sound; and for this, we as a nation are forever grateful."
PHOTOS: USS Houston decommissioned after 33 years
According to a Navy press release, "Originally homeported at Pearl Harbor, Houston arrived at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility in Bremerton, Washington, for inactivation and decommissioning July 14. Houston will spend the next year going through deactivation and the disassembling of components for historical archiving."
It was the fourth U.S. warship to be named after Houston.