
The contract to build her was awarded to the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corporation in Groton, Connecticut on 30 September 1998 and her keel was laid down on 2 September 1999. She is the tenth vessel of the Navy to be named for the Commonwealth of Virginia, as well as the second US Navy attack submarine to be named after a state, a pattern that is common throughout her class. USS Virginia (SSN-774) is a nuclear powered cruise missile attack submarine and the lead ship of her class, currently serving in the United States Navy (USN). 1 × single shaft pump-jet propulsor ġ2 VLS tubes, four 21 inch (530 mm) torpedo tubes for Mk-48 torpedoes and BGM-109 Tomahawk.JSTOR ( November 2008) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message).Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.įind sources: "USS Virginia" SSN-774 – news Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Fast-attack submarines project power ashore with special operations forces and Tomahawk cruise missiles in the prevention or response to regional crises.This article needs additional citations for verification. They are designed to excel in anti-submarine warfare, anti-ship warfare, strike warfare, special operations, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, irregular warfare and mine warfare. The group also includes another first-in-class, the nuclear-powered guided missile cruiser commissioned in 1976 and decommissioned after 18 years in service.įast-attack submarines are multi-mission platforms enabling five of the six Navy maritime strategy core capabilities – sea control, power projection, forward presence, maritime security and deterrence. Navy ship to be named Virginia, dating back to one of the 13 frigates authorized by the Continental Congress in 1775.

Over the past two decades, through continuously upgraded Blocks of the class, Virginia-class submarines have been redesigned to reduce life-cycle costs, increase deployment availability, enhance passive sonar detection and expand payload capacity. The removal of the barrel periscopes allowed the ship’s control room to be moved down one deck and away from the hull’s curvature, affording it more room and an improved layout that provides the commanding officer with enhanced situational awareness. The class incorporated features to better support special operations forces (SOF), including a reconfigurable torpedo room which can accommodate a large number of SOF personnel and all of their equipment for prolonged deployments.Īdditionally, the Virginia-class submarines replaced traditional periscopes with two photonics masts that host visible and infrared digital cameras atop telescoping arms. The Virginia class ushered in several innovations that significantly enhanced the Navy’s undersea warfighting capabilities.

The 377-foot-long USS Virginia was commissioned in 2004 as the first in its class, following 62 smaller 362-foot-long Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarines commissioned between 19. As the first of 21 state-of-the-art fast-attack submarines – and counting – it’s an honor for all of us to play a part in the next chapter of her long and decorated life.” Feldon and his crew are ready and eager to execute any mission our nation requires. “We’re excited to welcome USS Virginia back to the Submarine Capital of the World, where she’ll bring her stealth and firepower back to the tip of the spear,” said Capt. Feldon, will transition from operating under the shipyard-based Submarine Squadron (SUBRON) 2 to the Groton-based SUBRON 4. With its homeport change, Virginia, which is commanded by Cmdr.


The move marked completion of USS Virginia’s scheduled maintenance and upgrades at the Kittery, Maine, shipyard and return to the operational fleet. Groton, Connecticut – USS Virginia (SSN 774), the first in the newest class of fast-attack submarines, completed a change of homeports from Portsmouth Naval Shipyard to Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, Connecticut, on Wednesday, April 12.
