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The commander of a nuclear-powered submarine deployed to the Middle East during Operation Iraqi Freedom was honored Saturday night in the city for which the warship is named.

Commander David Hahn was the featured speaker at the annual dinner meeting of the Pittsburgh Council of the Navy League of the United States at the Sheraton Station Square, South Side, to celebrate the USS Pittsburgh's 20 years of service.

The USS Pittsburgh is a 360-foot fast attack submarine, based in Groton, Conn. It is run by 14 officers and 129 enlisted crewmen.

The ship cost about $900 million to build and was commissioned in 1985. It is armed with Harpoon and Tomahawk missiles and Mk-48 torpedoes.

The submarine has been honored for its worldwide deployments, most recently in Operation Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Its honors include the Battle Efficiency "E," five Meritorious Unit Commendations and two Navy Unit Commendations.

Last night's event was sponsored by the USS Pittsburgh Relief Crew, an organization of citizens that supports the submarine officers, crew and their families.

The submarine is the fourth American warship named for the city.

The last USS Pittsburgh was a heavy cruiser commissioned in 1944 and soon deployed to the Pacific. Near Japan in 1945, it got caught in a typhoon. In 100-foot waves, the ship's bow broke off.

The ship survived, as did its crew, and after a seven-hour storm, it proceeded to safety at Guam. The crew nicknamed the broken bow piece "McKeesport."

Hahn, of Tampa, Fla., graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1985.

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