First service stop by a US submarine in Icelandic territorial waters

On Wednesday, the American nuclear-powered submarine USS San Juan made a brief stop off the coast of Iceland for supplies and personnel. This is the first service visit by a US submarine to Iceland after the Icelandic government recently gave authorization for such visits.

"This visit demonstrates the strength of the Iceland-U.S. strategic relationship and our mutual commitment to maritime domain awareness and increased response capabilities in the Arctic and North Atlantic. The ability to conduct these stops out of Iceland greatly increases our operational flexibility in the Greenland-Iceland-U.K. Gap,” says Captain John Craddock, Commander Task Force 69, in a press release from U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa / U.S. Sixth Fleet.