politics

American Submarine Visit to Tromsø

USS Delaware at the Port of Grøtsund.

Austin Ingram/US Navy

On Monday, the US nuclear-powered submarine USS Delaware docked at the Port of Grøtsund just outside Tromsø, Northern Norway.

Astri Edvardsen Astri Edvardsen Journalist

Published 2 September 2026 - 13:14 Modified 2 September 2026 - 13:15

The fast attack submarine USS Delaware (SSN 791) arrived in Grøtsund on 1th September for a routine port visit, according to the US Sixth Fleet.

"US Navy submarines routinely operate around the High North to provide maritime domain awareness and ensure security and stability in the region," the fleet states in a press release.

USS Delaware is a nuclear-powered submarine equipped with Tomahawk cruise missiles.

The duration of the visit is unknown, but a restricted area has been established in the airspace above Grøtsund until Thursday 3 September.

USS Delaware eskorteres inn til Grøtsund havn av slepebåter. — USS Delaware was escorted into the port of Grøtsund by tugboats.

Grøtsund, just north of the city of Tromsø, became a receiving port for allied nuclear-powered vessels in 2020. There have been around eight allied submarine port calls at the port each year, the majority of them American.

The former Norwegian naval base Olavsvern at Ramfjordnes, around 14 kilometres south of Tromsø, is also being considered for receiving allied vessels.

When the Norwegian parliament considered the updated long-term plan for the defence sector in June, it resolved to ask the government to prepare a new and expanded needs assessment on the use of Olavsvern for defence purposes during the spring 2027.