USS Virginia (SSN-774)

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USS Virginia (SSN-774)
Virginia (SSN 774) returns to the General Dynamics Electric Boat shipyard following the successful completion of its "alpha" sea trials in 2004.
History
United States
NameUSS Virginia
NamesakeCommonwealth of Virginia
Ordered30 September 1998[1]
BuilderGeneral Dynamics Electric Boat
Laid down2 September 1999[1]
Launched
  • 16 August 2003[1]
  • Program cost, US$29 billion[2]
  • Unit cost, US$6 billion (FY 2011)[2]
Acquired12 October 2004[3]
Commissioned23 October 2004[1]
HomeportGroton, Connecticut[4]
Identification
Motto
  • Sic Semper Tyrannis
  • ("Thus Always To Tyrants")
Statusin active service[1]
BadgeShip's crest
General characteristics
Class and typeVirginia-class submarine
Displacement7,800 tons
Length377 ft (115 m)[1]
Beam34 ft (10.4 m)[1]
Draft32 ft (9.8 m)[1]
Propulsion
Speed25 knots (46 km/h)
Test depthgreater than 800 ft (244 m)
Complement134 officers and enlisted personnel
Armament12
BGM-109 Tomahawk

USS Virginia (SSN-774) is a

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.

The contract to build her was awarded to the

Charles Robb, and daughter of President of the United States Lyndon B. Johnson and Lady Bird Johnson. She was the first U.S. Navy submarine to be completely designed on a computer.[8][9] On 10 and 11 March, the prospective submarine shot 12 dummy torpedoes into the Thames River
, Connecticut, from each of the boat's four tubes.

Virginia was delivered to the Navy on 12 October 2004, the 104th anniversary of the commissioning of Holland, the Navy's first modern, commissioned submarine. She was commissioned on 23 October 2004 under the command of David J. Kern. The commissioning ceremony was featured in the 2005 television series Submarine: Hidden Hunter on Discovery Channel. This class of submarine is unique in that it features a photonics mast that freed ship designers to place the boat's control room in a lower, less geometrically constrained space than would be required by a standard, optical tube periscope. It is additionally unique in the U.S. Navy for featuring all-digital ship and ballast control systems that are operated by relatively senior watchstanders and a pressure chamber to deploy SEALs, divers or other special forces units while being submerged.

On 23 November 2005, Virginia completed her first deployment in support of the Global

Electric Boat's shipyard for post-shakedown availability, which was expected to last for most of 2006. In April 2010 the submarine returned from a six-month deployment having covered 37,000 miles.[10][11]

The submarine completed her first 20-month-long overhaul in May 2012.[12]

Ship's crest

"Emblazoned on a blue background that symbolizes the mighty deep, Virginia is prominently positioned. The forward view of Virginia denotes her leading the submarine force into a new century and onto a new and exciting course for the

Seal, represents the triumph of Virtue over tyranny.[13]

The image of George Washington also looks forward with Virginia. George Washington, a Virginia native, has been characterized as the "indispensable man" vital to the formation of the American republic. In all of history, few men who possessed unassailable power have used that power so selflessly and wisely for the welfare of their countrymen and all mankind. Virginia also stands ready in all her indisputable power to serve the people of America and her allies."[13]

Commemorative works

USS Virginia
USS Virginia Commissioning print by Tom Liesegang
Navy Commissioning print
by Tom Liesegang

The

President Lyndon Johnson.[15]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "USS Virginia". Naval Vessel Register. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Analysis of the Fiscal Year 2012 Pentagon Spending Request". CostofWar.com. 15 February 2011. Retrieved 23 February 2013.
  3. ^ "Virginia Class". General Dynamics Electric Boat. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  4. ^ Bergman, Julia (22 February 2018). "USS Virginia, one of the first fast-attack submarines to be integrated, returns home". The Day. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  5. ^
  6. ^ "Validation of the Use of Low Enriched Uranium as a Replacement for Highly Enriched Uranium in US Submarine Reactors" (PDF). dspace.mit.edu. June 2015. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  7. ^ "US study of reactor and fuel types to enable naval reactors to shift from HEU fuel". fissilematerials.org. 10 April 2020. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  8. ^ "Virginia-Class Program". Submarine Industrial Base Council. 22 December 2008. Archived from the original on 19 January 2012. Retrieved 23 February 2013.
  9. ^ Graves, Barbara; Whitman, Edward (Spring 1999). "The Virginia Class: America's Next Submarine". Undersea Warfare. 1 (2). Archived from the original on 28 March 2013. Retrieved 23 February 2013.
  10. ^ Mohl, Michael. "Virginia (SSN-774)". NavSource Online. Retrieved 23 February 2013.
  11. ^ Merritt, T. H. (13 April 2010). "USS Virginia Returns From Maiden Six-Month Deployment". Commander, Submarine Group Two. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 26 July 2013.
  12. ^ "PNSY Completes First Ever Virginia-class Major Maintenance Availability". Naval Sea Systems Command. 10 May 2012. Archived from the original on 25 February 2013. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
  13. ^ a b McDermott, Kenn. "The Seal of the USS Virginia (SSN-774)". USS Virginia Base.org. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  14. ^ Byrne, Diane M. (11 October 2010). "Tom Liesegang, Metal Master". MegaYacht News. Archived from the original on 13 September 2015. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
  15. ^ Liesegang, Tom (10 March 2010). "USS Virginia". Orka Fine Arts. Archived from the original on 16 September 2015. Retrieved 16 September 2015.