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University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: The Tar Heel Boat
November 19, 2016 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers, Adam Lucas
By Adam Lucas
HONOLULU—Thursday morning, just like every other day during the season, Carolina's basketball team began their practice day with a complete, minute-by-minute practice plan, including the Thought for the Day, offensive and defensive emphasis, and any scheduling details that needed to be discussed.
About 15 miles away, just like every other day under the command of Capt. Gary Montalvo, the crew of the USS North Carolina submarine began their day with the Plan of the Day, including a section headed Hot Like Jordan to recognize high achievement. When Capt. Montalvo is given his copy of the plan, it features the events that need his high attention highlighted in—what else?—Carolina blue.
When most people think of the USS North Carolina, they probably picture the battleship museum in Wilmington. But there's an active duty Virginia-class nuclear submarine bearing that name, SSN-777, in Pearl Harbor, that just returned from a six-month deployment in March (“It was a very successful deployment, but we can't talk about it,” says Montalvo).
Under the direction of Capt. Montalvo, the sub has actively cultivated its identity as “The Tar Heel boat,” a nickname that was part of the boat's commissioning. Interlocking NC flags fly throughout the sub. Capt. Montalvo chose to have the cleats on the exterior of the boat painted Carolina blue. The ten ballast tank covers are painted Carolina blue and feature interlocking NCs.
When Montalvo assumed command, the ship was a politically correct homage to the state of North Carolina. It included a Duke station and an NC State station. Montalvo quickly got rid of those. His XO, Lieutenant Commander Scott Bresnahan, is married to a Wolfpack grad. Therefore, Montalvo kept exactly one NC State logo. “I have one on the seat of my chair,” the captain says with a grin. “That way, I put my butt on it every single day.”
Some people have a Carolina man room. Montalvo, a Durham native who attended Jordan High and comes from a multigenerational family of Tar Heels, has a Carolina man sub. It just so happens that he's able to indoctrinate a crew of 135 sailors into the Tar Heel way—that's actually what they call their leadership principles onboard the sub—while also finding time to protect the greatest country on earth.
He takes his job seriously. Under his command, the USS North Carolina won the 2015 Battle Efficiency award, which recognizes excellence over a yearlong competition. Every morning, he wakes up and runs 7.77 miles in honor of the sub's number. When he steps aboard the sub, the PA system announces, “North Carolina arriving.” When he leaves, it says, “North Carolina departing.” On this piece of the ocean, and wherever his sub might travel, he quite literally is North Carolina. “They call me Tar Heel-1,” he says, only a little sheepishly.
But his sailors love it. When they gathered for an All Hands Call on Friday morning at 9:30, several of them were recognized for a variety of naval honors (Montalvo himself recently received the Admiral Stockdale Leadership Award, given to only one person in the entire Pacific fleet, but he never mentions it on his own; it's Bresnahan who has to bring it up). Today is a big day aboard the submarine; the SSN777 Club, an organization based in North Carolina committed to promoting and eventually preserving the sub, has purchased 77 tickets for sailors to attend tonight's Carolina-Hawaii game. “It's as close as you can get to a ship holiday,” Bresnahan says. Roy Williams sent a LOCK IN shirt inscribed "To the Tar Heel boat" for the ship to display in a common area.
The North Carolina's last deployment encompassed the vast majority of the 2015-16 basketball season. Email is sporadic in the middle of the ocean, so Montalvo was able to receive only periodic updates on his team. “Usually, it was my dad telling me he was going to call Coach Williams and talk about practicing free throws,” he says with a laugh. But with the sub in a period of refurbishment, he'll be able to attend tonight's game along with much of his crew.
There's such good camaraderie aboard the submarine that it's easy to forget you're on board one of the world's most powerful oceangoing vessels. Cell phones must be surrendered before boarding; four serious looking soldiers patrol the area wearing bullet proof vests and carrying automatic weapons. Inside, though, it feels like a family.
“What we want our crew to understand is that they are the Tar Heel crew, and they really respond to that,” Montalvo says. “It's true that submarines are about technology and they are designed to go to war. But what we want to do overall is we want to take care of people. That's what we are here for.”
He climbs on a table to address his crew one last time before dismissing them for the rest of the day. Each of these sessions concludes with “three questions,” where sailors can ask the captain anything that's on their mind. After he answers the questions, Montalvo has just one more order.
“OK,” he says, “bring it in.” His crew gathers around him, and they break down the meeting the same way they do all of these sessions.
“1, 2, 3!” Montalvo barks.
“Go Tar Heels!” his crew answers.