The USS Ohio (SSGN-726) arrives in Brisbane, Australia, for a scheduled port visit in July 2025. The US Navy’s Submarine Squadron 3 (CSS-3), dating back to World War II, has been reactivated and is expected to be stationed in Australia indefinitely. (US Navy/Mass Communication Spc. 3rd Class Haley Wilson)

US Navy Reestablished World War II-Era Submarine Squadron

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Eighty years ago, Submarine Squadron 3 protected the Panama Canal. Today, it will protect Australia, alongside other members of the AUKUS alliance. 

The United States Navy’s Submarine Squadron 3 (CCS-3) was first established in November 1930, operating from the US-controlled Panama Canal Zone. It initially focused on coastal defense and frontier patrols on both ends of the Panama Canal, a role that continued throughout World War II. After the war, CSS-3 was moved to San Diego and operated from the California city from 1946 until it was disestablished in 1995. The unit was reactivated in 1997 and operated at Pearl Harbor until it was decommissioned and deactivated again in 2012.

This month, Submarine Squadron 3 was reactivated for a third time, and will operate from HMAS Stirling outside of Perth in Western Australia to support the “Submarine Rotational Force-West” (SRF-West), the US Navy announced in a media statement. CSS-3 personnel will........

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