USS Providence ( SSN - 719 ) USS " Providence " ( SSN - 719 ) , a , was the fifth ship of the United States Navy to be named for Providence , Rhode Island . The contract to build her was awarded to the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corporation in Groton , Connecticut on 16 April 1979 and her keel was laid down on 14 October 1982 . She was launched on 4 August 1984 sponsored by Mrs . William F . Smith , and commissioned on 27 July 1985 , with Captain E . Morrow in command . " Providence " is the first " Los Angeles " class submarine to be equipped with the Tomahawk missile Vertical Launch System ( VLS ) . While others used test boxes and programs , Providence was the first submarine to launch a Tomahawk cruise missile from the VLS system using its combat system CCS MK1 and associated software C4 . 1 . " Providence " has been deployed several times to the Western Atlantic , the Mediterranean , and the Persian Gulf . Some of the ports visited have included Port Canaveral ( Cocoa Beach , Florida ) and Port Everglades ( Fort Lauderdale , Florida ) , Naval Station Roosevelt Roads in Puerto Rico , Tromsø in Norway , Halifax in Nova Scotia , Gibraltar , Toulon in France , Souda Bay in Crete , La Maddalena in Italy , and Koper in Slovenia , in the Mediterranean , and al - Manama , Bahrain , and both Dubai and Jebel Ali in the United Arab Emirates in the Persian Gulf . The submarine has made transits of the Suez Canal in 1998 , 2001 , and 2003 and participated in Operation Southern Watch , Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom , where she earned the nickname " Big dog of the Red Sea wolf pack . " She has since been retrofitted with numerous upgrades including the AN / BYG - 1 Fire Control system and AN / BQQ - 10 ARCI Sonar suite . Her astounding achievements continued in 2006 – 2007 as she has also completed an around - the - world deployment to the Western Pacific Ocean earning the coveted Order of Magellan certificate , participating in Exercise MALABAR 2006 , and many other significant assignments . Port visits included Singapore , Yokosuka and Okinawa in Japan , Goa in India , as well as transits through both the Suez Canal and Panama Canal . In 2008 , she completed yet another deployment to the Western Pacific Ocean , only this time taking a northern route , successfully transiting under the arctic ice cap . The submarine is currently active and assigned to Submarine Development Squadron 12 at US Naval Submarine Base New London , Groton , Connecticut . Operation Odyssey Dawn . On 19 March 2011 , the submarine launched Tomahawk cruise missiles at Libyan air defenses as part of Operation Odyssey Dawn . Awards . " Providence " has been awarded three Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal s , four Navy Expeditionary Medal s , six Meritorious Unit Commendation s , four Navy Unit Commendation s , and six Battle E ( Navy " E " Ribbon ) awards , three of which were consecutive , and most recently the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal . " Providence " won the Tomahawk Strike Derby in 1988 with a 5 second time on target . The USS " Providence " was the winner of the 2008 Arleigh Burke Award for superior performance in battle efficiency , presented by Fleet Forces Command on Monday 16 June 2008 . " Providence " has , once again , earned the coveted 2008 – 2009 Battle Efficiency ' E ' for COMSUBRON 2 . In fiction . " Providence " appears in the Tom Clancy novel " Red Storm Rising " , launching cruise missiles against military airfields inside the Soviet Union before being attacked by a Grisha - class frigate which causes extensive damage to her sail . She attempts to flee while under escort from her sisters and but the damage to her sail causes her to sound like " a junk wagon going down a gravel road " . Before reaching safety she is attacked and ultimately sunk ( along with " Boston " ) by an Alfa class submarine .