Carnegie native named commander of USS Pittsburgh

Seems only natural that a Steel City native should be in charge of the U.S. submarine named Pittsburgh.

Cmdr. Jason Deichler took command of the nuclear sub USS Pittsburgh on Friday, overseeing a crew of nearly 150 in the fourth ship named for the city, the U.S. Navy said.

Deichler grew up in Carnegie, a fact he noted in his address at the change of command ceremony in Connecticut, according to the Navy.

“I carry with me each day this fact — I am a son of Pittsburgh and I am the son of James and Karen Deichler,” he said. “I will never forget the faces of the men and women of Pittsburgh, nor the faces of my family.”

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The USS Pittsburgh has seen more than 1,000 dives in its almost 34 years of service and has participated in numerous military campaigns, including Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom.

Deichler, a 1995 graduate from Chartiers Valley High School, earned a B.S. in mathematics from Carnegie Mellon University and a master’s degree in engineering from Old Dominion University.

“The USS Pittsburgh has proven for over 30 years that she is one of the finest submarines our world has and will ever know, and I thank our leadership for the trust and blessings to lead this amazing crew into harm’s way once again,” he said.

Cox Media Group