USS Key West ( SSN - 722 ) USS " Key West " ( SSN - 722 ) , a " Los Angeles " - class submarine , was the third ship of the United States Navy to be named for Key West , Florida . The contract to build her was awarded to Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company in Newport News , Virginia on 13 August 1981 and her keel was laid down on 6 July 1983 . She was launched on 20 July 1985 sponsored by Mrs . Virginia Conn , and commissioned on 12 September 1987 with Commander Warren Lipscomb , Jr . in command . She is the fourth " Los Angeles " - class submarine equipped with the vertical launch system ( VLS ) capable of carrying 12 Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles ( TLAM ) . USS " Key West " was home ported at the Norfolk Naval Base , Norfolk , VA . She operated out of Norfolk , VA until 1995 . During her Atlantic Fleet service , she completed numerous Cold War deployments and supported operations in the Caribbean , Western Atlantic and Mediterranean . USS " Key West " was awarded the " Hook - em " antisubmarine warfare ( ASW ) excellence award following her 1990 Mediterranean Cruise . She later was awarded the Meritorious Unit Commendation Award for her superior performance in Cold War operations during the 1989 and 1990 deployments . USS " Key West " won the " TOP TORP " Torpedo Shooting Competition in 1992 and was later awarded the Submarine Squadron Eight Battle " E " for that year . The USS " Key West " deployed with the " Theodore Roosevelt " Carrier Battle Group in 1995 . During that deployment she operated in the Mediterranean Sea and Persian Gulf and was awarded the Navy Unit Commendation , Armed Forces Service , and NATO Service medals . Following the 1995 deployment , USS " Key West " underwent an availability in Norfolk , VA in preparation for her transfer to the Pacific Fleet in 1996 . She departed Norfolk in June 1996 and transited the Panama Canal as part of her transfer to the Pacific Fleet . She arrived in Pearl Harbor , Hawaii in July 1996 and began operations under Submarine Squadron One . The USS " Key West " visited her name sake city in 1987 for a week long celebration after commissioning , in 1992 and later in 1994 . Since reassignment to the Pacific Fleet she has not been able to visit Key West , Florida again . In April 1997 , USS " Key West " conducted her first Pacific deployment with the " Constellation " Carrier Battle Group . During this deployment , she operated in the Pacific Ocean , Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf . Later that year , USS " Key West " was reassigned to Submarine Squadron Three . In the next year , she deployed to the Eastern Pacific in support of the " Carl Vinson " and " Abraham Lincoln " Carrier Battle Groups , and later supported the 1998 Rim of the Pacific ( RIMPAC ) exercise . From 1998 through 2001 she supported Pacific theater operations in both the Third Fleet and Seventh Fleet area of operations . During this time she participated in numerous bilateral and multilateral exercises with our Pacific Theater partner . Following the 11 September attacks , she was redirected Bahrain to the Northern Arabian Sea where she launched Tomahawk Land Attack Cruise Missiles against Afghanistan in October 2001 . In 2003 , 2005 and 2007 USS " Key West " conducted deployments to the Western Pacific in support of Seventh Fleet operations . In 2007 USS " Key West " was named " Battle E " for COMSUBRON THREE , given to the best submarine in its squadron , awarded the Arleigh Burke Trophy for the most improved sea command in the Pacific , and awarded the Naval Unit Commendation for its outstanding accomplishments during the deployment . In 2009 USS " Key West " was again awarded the " Battle E " award for COMSUBRON Three for outstanding performance during the 2009 WESTPAC deployment . In 2012 USS " Key West " shifted home port to Naval Base Guam to support Seventh Fleet operations as a forward deployed unit . Command Emblem . The conch shell is the focal point of the submarine ' s emblem for the fabled horn of the Greek God Triton and the symbol of the submarine ' s namesake city . The USS " Key West " is emerging from the shell which symbolizes the emergence of the city as the leading city of the Florida Keys . The submarine insignia symbolizes the heritage that the ship has with all past and future submarines . The motto " Liberate Clavis Tenacitas et Ingenium " translates to " The Key to Freedom is Tenacity and Resourcefulness . " Specifically , the phrase " The Key to Freedom " represents the namesake city and the submarine ' s mission to protect the fundamental rights and liberties of the American people . The phrase " Tenacity and Resourcefulness " was used by the Mayor of Key West during his speech at the ship ' s launching to describe the characteristics of a true Conch — a native of Key West . Additionally , " Ingenium " is a word used by the ancient Greek and Roman historians to describe the resourcefulness and ingenuity of sailors in the period . In popular fiction . In the Tom Clancy novel " Red Storm Rising " , " Key West " participated in a cruise missile strike against the Soviet Union . In the novel " Kirov III - Pacific Storm " by John Schettler , " Key West " is involved in a critical action with the Russian Battlecruiser Kirov II . In the Swedish novel " Landsförrädaren " by Anders Jallai , the " Key West " makes an appearance to save the protagonist .