New leader takes charge of USS Iowa

Submarine is fourth Navy vessel named after the state

GROTON, Conn. -- The submarine USS Iowa has a new commander.

Cmdr. Gregory Coy turned over command of the nuclear-powered fast attack submarine to Cmdr. Kyle Haubold in a traditional change-of-command ceremony held Friday aboard the Historic Ship Nautilus at the Submarine Force Museum in Groton, Connecticut.

Haubold is the second commander of the submarine, which was commissioned in April 2025.

"Our nation has entrusted us with one of the most capable warships ever built, and it expects us to be ready when called," Haubold said. "That readiness is built every single day: in our maintenance, our training, our technical competence, our honesty, and the standards we uphold."

Haubold, an Arlington, Texas, native and 2008 graduate of the United States Naval Academy, previously served aboard the submarines USS Jacksonville, USS Kentucky, and USS Hyman G. Rickover.

The USS Iowa was commissioned on April 5, 2025. It is the fourth U.S. Navy ship named for the state of Iowa with the most recent, a battleship, seeing action in World War II, Korean War, and Gulf War. The submarine Iowa has a crew of more than 130 personnel, is more than 377 feet long and can displace nearly 7,900 tons.

The Virginia-class of nuclear-powered fast attack submarines, which includes the USS Iowa, are designed for a broad spectrum of open-ocean and littoral missions. Fast-attack submarines are multi-mission platforms enabling five of the six Navy maritime strategy core capabilities -- sea control, power projection, forward presence, maritime security and deterrence. They are designed to excel in anti-submarine warfare, anti-ship warfare, strike warfare, special operations, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, irregular warfare and mine warfare. Fast-attack submarines project power ashore with special operations forces and Tomahawk cruise missiles.