USS North Dakota is visible passing Calvert Cliffs at dawn Thursday. Photo: Taylors Island Maryland/ Facebook

If you were paying close attention on the Bay late last week, you may have spotted a submarine just above the waterline, headed towards the Bay Bridge.

And you didn’t see just any submarine, what you saw was the Navy nuclear attack sub, USS North Dakota. The $2.6 billion, 377-foot-long submarine made an unusual visit to the Naval Academy. It was reportedly there “in support of professional development” for the midshipmen.

Many spotted the submarine anchored near the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. And some even saw it in transit. Taylors Island, Maryland posted photos on Facebook of the sub passing Calvert Cliffs at dawn.

The North Dakota, commissioned in 2014, is used to launch cruise missiles, carry out surveillance, and deliver special forces. She is home-ported in Groton, Connecticut, and just returned in February from her first deployment, a six-month security mission near Europe.

Submarines come to the Naval Academy less frequently than you might think. The Academy tells Bay Bulletin that the last visit was from the USS Newport News in March 2017.

-Meg Walburn Viviano