040719-N-0780F-070 Souda Bay, Crete, Greece (July 19, 2004) - The Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS
Dallas (SSN 700) departs Souda Bay harbor following a brief port visit. Dallas is homported in Groton, Conn.,
and currently on a routine deployment. Commissioned in 1981, Dallas is the first Los Angeles class submarine
to have a dry deck shelter. Dry Deck Shelters provide specially configured nuclear powered submarines with a
greater capability of deploying Special Operations Forces (SOF). DDSs can transport, deploy, and recover SOF
teams from Combat Rubber Raiding Crafts (CRRCs) or SEAL Delivery Vehicles (SDVs), all while remaining
submerged. In an era of littoral warfare, this capability substantially enhances the combat flexibility of
both the submarine and SOF personnel. U.S. Navy photo by Paul Farley (RELEASED)