Tracey Delyea was watching the Antiques Roadshow at her family’s cabin in Coeur d’Alene last summer when an ad caught her attention.
The ad was a photography contest to help decorate the interior of a submarine to be named “Idaho” for the first time in over a century.
“I looked at my mom, and I said, ‘I have a picture.’ And she said, ‘Well, are you going to do something about it?’” Delyea recalled.
Delyea, art teacher at Colville High School, was one of several photos chosen for the U.S. Navy’s newest nuclear submarine, the USS Idaho (SSN 799) – first submarine to be named “Idaho” in over a century and fifth U.S. Navy ship named for Idaho overall. Her photo, taken on her iPhone, details the gleaming lake of Coeur d’Alene and its towering, vibrant green trees. It will be displayed inside the commanding officer’s stateroom, which was named for Coeur d’Alene.
The last ship named “Idaho” was commissioned in 1919 and was used during World War II.
“I kind of gasped. I was so excited,” said Delyea, who also was a former U.S. Peace Corps volunteer in Ghana, West Africa.
She said while she was submitting her work, she repeatedly thought about the submariner on the ship.
“It was, ‘What would they want to see? What would give them peace? What would give them joy?’ ” Delyea said.
Richard Colburn, chairman of the USS Idaho Commissioning Foundation, said when they were looking over more than 3,000 entries, they were thinking the same thing. He said with the life of a submariner being extremely stressful, they wanted something that “represented the beauty and spirit and serenity of Idaho.”
He said they’ve picked out between 50 to 100 photos so far and worked alongside Idaho Public Television for their advertising.
“We thought that photograph was perfect to do that because it’s an absolutely beautiful picture of the lake,” said Colburn, who’s also a retired U.S. Navy captain. “Where that particular picture is mounted, almost everyone on the ship will see that picture every day.”
He said Idaho has a deep naval history, highlighting all the research and development with the submarine force is developed in Lake Pend Oreille, located in the Idaho Panhandle.
“The two most important things in submarine construction are acoustic, stealth and nuclear technology, and both of those come from Idaho,” Colburn said.
He added that in Sun Valley, a small ski-resort town in south-central Idaho, the ski lodge was used as a navy convalescent hospital during World War II, with 6,500 sailors and marines that did their rehabilitation there. According to the USS Idaho Committee website, Spokane native Bing Crosby made an appearance at the lodge to sing to patients during the war.
He also noted there’s been elevated excitement surrounding the ship’s completion, considering the submarine was originally supposed to be commissioned in 2023 but was delayed due to the lasting effects of COVID. During the pandemic, a large number of shipyard workers took early retirement, Colburn said.
“The submarine industrial base, not just the shipyards, has struggled since then with hiring qualified trades folks to be able to do the work,” he said. “They’re still not where they need to be.”
Colburn said there will be a commissioning of the USS Idaho on April 25 in Groton, Connecticut, where he expects at least 500 Idahoans to be at the celebration. Governor Brad Little will also be at the event, he said.
Delyea said while she won’t be able to attend, she’s excited to see her photo displayed on board.
“‘I’ll get a certificate, which is pretty cool,” she said.
