An Annandale, Virginia native and 2018 graduate of Annandale High School is training to be a Navy submarine scuba diver at the Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center (NDSTC) at Naval Support Activity Panama City, Florida.

Lt. j.g. Everett Stenberg, a 2022 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and a submarine officer assigned to the Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS Mississippi (SSN 782) is a student in a five-week course at the world’s largest diving facility.

During week three, known as “pool week,” students perform weighted in-water proficiency checks, where they inspect each other for leaks and tread water for one minute. Instructors also evaluate students on their ability to remain calm and respond to underwater scenarios they could possibly encounter.

“Our current scuba class is comprised of one Air Force and 26 Navy personnel,” said Chief Navy Diver Michael Laux, a native of Defuniak Springs, Florida, and leading chief petty officer for Training Team 3. “After the class finishes confidence training, they will move into familiarization training utilizing a buoyancy compensator and then guided-open ocean proficiency dives.”

The Naval Academy introduced Stenberg to the dive program after he selected the submarine community during his junior year.

“I am absolutely thrilled for this opportunity,” said Stenberg. “It has been a great three weeks thus far. It is a lot of hard work, but it is a great feeling to be able to contribute to my submarine’s mission.”

Stenberg credits much of his success to the values that his father, a U.S. Army infantry officer, instilled in him at an early age.

“My father showed me the importance of hard work and discipline,” said Stenberg. “This laid a strong foundation for me as I progressed from the academy to Naval Submarine School to Navy Dive School.”

Like many who answer a call to service in the military, Stenberg joined the Navy to serve a higher purpose. Submarine officers hold leadership roles in every department on a submarine, ranging from managing the nuclear reactor plant to maintaining weapons systems or managing life support systems to driving the ship.

“From the get-go, I knew I wanted to be in the military,” said Stenberg. “I wanted to be part of something bigger than myself and something that would challenge me personally and professionally. The military fit those criteria for me.”

Stenberg offers a piece of advice to anyone considering military service.

“Get ready to work hard, but it is going to be worth it,” said Stenberg. “Not every day is going to be fun, but it is worth every bit of effort once you are able to look back at what you and your team accomplished and how you all contributed to your command and country.”

Every year, NDSTC trains more than 1,200 students from the military services, international partners and governmental agencies. NDSTC houses 23 certified diver life support systems, which include six hyperbaric recompression chambers, two diving simulation facilities capable of diving to 300 feet, an aquatics training facility which is the second largest pool in the U.S., a submarine lock-out trunk and two 133-foot vessels for open ocean diving support with recompression chambers and mixed gas diving capabilities.

To learn more about service as a submarine officer, visit https://www.navy.com/careers-benefits/careers/science-engineering/nupoc-submarine-officer.

For more information on NDSTC, visit https://www.netc.navy.mil/NDSTC/.