Local grad serves on USS North Carolina

A 1997 Emmaus High School graduate and Zions-ville na-tive is part of a select crew aboard the U.S. Navy's nuclear-powered attack submarine USS North Carolina.

Chief Petty Officer Travis Boyer is a torpedoman aboard the USS North Carolina based at the Navy base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The USS North Carolina, commissioned in 2008, is 377 feet and can sail under the waves at more than 30 mph.

"I am responsible for monitoring and deploying weapons for the safety of the submarine," Boyer said.

The training is demanding, as the crew needs to be ready to respond to any kind of situation and endure long periods of time submerged deep below the surface of the ocean.