BREMERTON — The crew of the USS Connecticut from Bremerton arrived in the Arctic for an exercise Wednesday that tests the Navy's ability to operate at the top of the world.

The boat's sailors will spend three weeks at a makeshift ice camp, working with sailors from the USS Toledo and representatives of five nations in an exercise known as "ICEX."

The Navy did not list the location of the exercise's temporary home but has designated it Camp Seadragon — named for the first submarine, almost 60 years ago, to transit the Northwest Passage and sail under an iceberg. The camp, on an ice floe, can house more than 45 people at a time, all while the subs — Connecticut, as well as the Groton, Connecticut-based USS Toledo — perform under-ice navigation exercises.

More:Under the ice: USS Pittsburgh travels to Bremerton through Arctic for last voyage

The Arctic's strategic and economic importance as a corridor has only grown in recent years. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates the Arctic has 13% — some 90 billion barrels — of the planet's undiscovered oil and around 30% of its untapped natural gas. Numerous countries lay claim to the region, including Russia, which has been investing heavily in fossil fuel projects there. China has even launched plans for a "polar silk road" for development in the far north, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

“ICEX 2020 provides the opportunity for the Submarine Force to demonstrate combat and tactical readiness for sustained Arctic operations in the unique and challenging Arctic environment," Vice Admiral Daryl Caudle, the commander of the country's submarine forces, said in a Navy news release.

The Navy's submarine under-ice operations in the Arctic have become a proud tradition, some 70 years old. The Connecticut, whose sail can punch through Arctic ice, was a part of the same exercise in 2018.

The Arctic region is also experiencing "unprecedented changes as a result of warming air temperatures, declining sea ice, and warming waters" as part of climate change, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The USS Pittsburgh, an East Coast-based fast attack submarine that arrived in Puget Sound in 2019 for its inactivation and decommissioning, even made its final journey here under the Arctic.

While the Navy's sub operations in northern polar waters are run by the San Diego-based Arctic Submarine Lab, it is the Navy's Bangor-based regional command that includes the increasingly coveted territory. Rear Adm. Scott Gray, commander of Navy Region Northwest, said the receding Arctic ice and the intensified competition among nations make it an important part of this region's mission.

"We are well-positioned here in the Puget Sound area to project power both into the Pacific and into the Arctic, which is critical to our capabilities to make sure we preserve a peaceful world order."

The Connecticut is one of three Seawolf-class submarines that are the Navy's quietest, fastest, deepest-diving and most capable the country has ever built. A new pier extension at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor will unite the three — the USS Seawolf and the USS Jimmy Carter — together at one dock.

More:Defense department awards $89 million contract for Bangor pier for Seawolf submarines

Reporter Josh Farley covers the military for the Kitsap Sun. Have you served aboard a submarine? Share your (unclassified) memories with him by emailing josh.farley@kitsapsun.com for an ongoing project.