Groton— The USS Memphis returned to the Naval Submarine Base this morning following its final deployment.

The Groton-based Los Angeles-class submarine is scheduled to be decommissioned in a ceremony at the base on April 1 after 33 years of service. Several spouses waiting by the pier said the homecoming was bittersweet since it meant the submarine was that much closer to being taken out of service.

"It's sad because it's the end," said Kim Dees, who husband is a Memphis sailor. "It's the end of a chapter."

As the submarine neared, Chief Brian Paugh stood out among the other crew members on top of the Memphis (SSN 691). He was dressed in a tight white jumpsuit with rhinestones and wore a black wig. He said the chief of the boat needed an Elvis for the homecoming and Paugh, an Elvis fan, said, "Why not?"

Paugh said it was "a great honor and privilege" to be one of the last chiefs to serve on the Memphis.

The Memphis returned to the base in June from a short deployment and was not scheduled to go out to sea again. But the Navy needed a submarine near Europe and the Memphis crew headed there in January.

Capt. Carl Lahti, the commanding officer, said both the crew and the submarine performed extremely well on the two-month deployment.

"Memphis is a fine ship," he said. "She's 33 years young. I think she could easily go another 20 if the Navy wasn't going to let her go."

After the families reunited, Lahti turned over command of the submarine to Cmdr. Jeff Joseph in a ceremony near the pier. Joseph previously served as the deputy commander of readiness for Submarine Squadron 3 in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

j.mcdermott@theday.com