Former R.L. Turner grad serving aboard USS Texas

A 2009 R. L. Turner High School graduate and Carollton native is part of a select crew, protecting and defending America aboard the U.S. Navy’s nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Texas.

Petty Officer 3rd Class James Irey is a torpedoman aboard Texas, one of the Virginia-class submarines based at the Navy base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

“I love my job. I wanted to work on submarines and I was fortunate enough to get it,” stated Irey in a release.

Texas, commissioned in Newport News, Virginia in 2006, is longer than a football field at 377 feet and can sail under the waves at more than 30 mph.

Texas, like all attack submarines in the Navy’s fleet, can carry out an array of missions on the world’s oceans in defense of America.

“Our attack submarines can deploy for as many as six months at a time to anywhere in the world, including under the Arctic Ice,” stated Cmdr. Brook DeWalt, Submarine Force U.S. Pacific Fleet spokesperson in a release. “Their missions can range from tracking and hunting enemy submarines, launching cruise missiles from sea to inland targets hundreds of miles away as well as surveillance and intelligence gathering.”

Because of the demanding nature of service aboard submarines, sailors like Irey are accepted only after rigorous testing and observation that can last several months. The crews have to be highly motivated, and adapt quickly to changing conditions.

“I am responsible for weapons handling on the boat,” Irey stated.

The training is demanding, as the crew needs to be ready to respond to any kind of situation that may arise while at sea and endure long periods of time submerged deep below the surface of the ocean.

“The Texas Crew has demonstrated an amazing resolve to come through challenges that we as a submarine force are faced with every day,” stated Cmdr. Todd J. Nethercott, Texas’s Commanding Officer. “Each sailor on board working together makes what we are tasked to do possible. A high degree of skill, work ethic and camaraderie throughout the boat has and will continue to ensure the success of the Navy’s undersea dominance.”

The rigorous nature of submarine service is challenging, but Irey enjoys it and believes it makes the crew tighter.

“I enjoy the experience the Navy has given me and, the paid travel is nice too,” stated Irey. “I love every aspect of my job. In my opinion I have the best job in the Navy.”

Being an attack submarine sailor has meant spending a lot of time away from his friends and family, but Irey believes in the work he is doing.

“How many people can say they have been out to sea on a submarine? This is special duty,” stated Irey.


A 2009 R. L. Turner High School graduate and Carollton native is part of a select crew, protecting and defending America aboard the U.S. Navy’s nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Texas.

Petty Officer 3rd Class James Irey is a torpedoman aboard Texas, one of the Virginia-class submarines based at the Navy base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

“I love my job. I wanted to work on submarines and I was fortunate enough to get it,” stated Irey in a release.

Texas, commissioned in Newport News, Virginia in 2006, is longer than a football field at 377 feet and can sail under the waves at more than 30 mph.

Texas, like all attack submarines in the Navy’s fleet, can carry out an array of missions on the world’s oceans in defense of America.

“Our attack submarines can deploy for as many as six months at a time to anywhere in the world, including under the Arctic Ice,” stated Cmdr. Brook DeWalt, Submarine Force U.S. Pacific Fleet spokesperson in a release. “Their missions can range from tracking and hunting enemy submarines, launching cruise missiles from sea to inland targets hundreds of miles away as well as surveillance and intelligence gathering.”

Because of the demanding nature of service aboard submarines, sailors like Irey are accepted only after rigorous testing and observation that can last several months. The crews have to be highly motivated, and adapt quickly to changing conditions.

“I am responsible for weapons handling on the boat,” Irey stated.

The training is demanding, as the crew needs to be ready to respond to any kind of situation that may arise while at sea and endure long periods of time submerged deep below the surface of the ocean.

“The Texas Crew has demonstrated an amazing resolve to come through challenges that we as a submarine force are faced with every day,” stated Cmdr. Todd J. Nethercott, Texas’s Commanding Officer. “Each sailor on board working together makes what we are tasked to do possible. A high degree of skill, work ethic and camaraderie throughout the boat has and will continue to ensure the success of the Navy’s undersea dominance.”

The rigorous nature of submarine service is challenging, but Irey enjoys it and believes it makes the crew tighter.

“I enjoy the experience the Navy has given me and, the paid travel is nice too,” stated Irey. “I love every aspect of my job. In my opinion I have the best job in the Navy.”

Being an attack submarine sailor has meant spending a lot of time away from his friends and family, but Irey believes in the work he is doing.

“How many people can say they have been out to sea on a submarine? This is special duty,” stated Irey.