USS Indiana Crew Celebrates Historic Hoosiers Win at Sea
Sailors aboard a nuclear submarine broke their silent service tradition to snap a team photo celebrating Indiana University's first perfect championship season in over a century. The crew watched the dramatic victory while underway in the Pacific.
Close to 30 sailors aboard the USS Indiana nuclear submarine gathered on deck for a rare celebration photo after their namesake team made college football history Monday night.
The Indiana University Hoosiers finished 16-0 after beating Miami 27-21 in the national championship game. No team had achieved a perfect 16-win season in over 100 years.
The photo shows Commander Kyle Johnson holding a commemorative football while sailors wave an Indiana flag behind him. Several crew members flashed "hang loose" gestures, a nod to their recent move from Connecticut to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
Navy submariners call themselves the silent service for good reason. They rarely share public photos or statements beyond official ceremonies, making this celebration photo especially remarkable.
Ray Shearer, who manages the ship's civilian support committee, confirmed the crew watched "some" of the game while underway. He couldn't share how they viewed it or where the ship was located, only that the photo was taken after the victory.
The connection between ship and state runs deep. Crew members visited Indianapolis and Indiana University in March 2023, where they picked up the flag and football. Six months later, the university hired coach Curt Cignetti, and the team went 27-2 since then.
Why This Inspires
This story shows how traditions connect people across vast distances. These sailors patrol the Pacific Ocean depths on a $3 billion submarine designed for intelligence gathering and special operations support, yet they still found a way to celebrate their home state's historic achievement.
The crew of 130 enlisted sailors and 14 officers maintains ties to Indiana through their ship's commissioning committee, a civilian nonprofit that raises funds to support them. Those connections matter when you're thousands of miles from home, living underwater for months at a time.
Even in the most demanding jobs, people find moments to celebrate together and remember where they came from.
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Based on reporting by Google: championship win celebration
This story was written by BrightWire based on verified news reports.
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