Last man down — hatch secured — prepare to dive! Make your depth
one-five-zero feet. Dive! Dive!
As we dive deeper and deeper into the 21st Century, we continue to maintain our nation’s undersea supremacy by deploying the world’s most awesome submarines.
Our nation was born in a noisy war of muskets and cannons. Today we have exceptionally quiet undersea platforms, armed with torpedoes and missiles, ready at a moment’s notice. We take great pride in these platforms — these silent sentinels of the deep — as they proudly carry our state names wherever they go. In the past, state names have been used for battleships and some cruisers, then for our Trident missile sub- marines, and now for our Virginia-class attack submarines, including one held dear and deep in the hearts of Texans.
TEXAS (SSN-775) was named by Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) John Dalton and commissioned in Galveston, Texas. Her ship’s sponsor is former First Lady Laura Bush. There is a set of eight-foot longhorns onboard to remind the crew of its Texas heritage and home state commu- nity support. In 2009, TEXAS made history during her east-west Arctic transit to Hawaii by being the first VA-class to surface through the ice. There she paused long enough to hold a re-enlistment ceremony for 12, a Dolphins pinning ceremony for one, and a touch football game for many. Texans by their very nature are a proud bunch. The legendary Admiral Chester Nimitz, a native Texan and an early submariner, after accepting Japan’s unconditional surrender, commented that his greatest fear during negotiations was that he would not be able to persuade Texans to stop fighting!
The people of the Aloha state hold a special place in their hearts for the Navy. This is why SECNAV Richard Danzig selected the name HA-WAII for SSN-776, our third VA-class and the first commissioned vessel to carry the name of our 50th state. Hawaiians descend from sea-going Polynesians who sailed the same waters as HAWAII sails today. The ship’s sponsor is former Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle. The ship’s christening included a kahuna’s traditional Hawaiian blessing. HAWAII is the 100th nuclear submarine built by Electric Boat. A few months before TEXAS made her Arctic transit, HAWAII also made an east-west transit — through the Panama Canal and awarded Dolphins to three sail- ors while in the locks. She arrived in her homeport of Pearl Harbor in time for the 50th anniversary of Hawaii statehood. At HAWAII’s change- of-command ceremonies a Hawaiian warrior spear — Ihe Koa — repre- senting both the fighting spirit of the Hawaiian people and the undersea warriors of the boat is passed along to the incoming Commanding Of- ficer. With the ship’s motto Kupale Aina meaning Defending the Land, HAWAII serves to protect our interests in the Pacific.
The ship’s motto for TENNESSEE (SSBN-734), our 9th fleet bal- listic missile submarine, is America at its Best and that motto is shared by the state of Tennessee. She is getting up in years but in her younger days TENNESSEE became the first SSBN capable of firing the Trident II D-5 missile. Submarine duty is voluntary and it is most appropriate that we have a submarine named for the Volunteer State, with volunteers like Andrew Jackson, Sam Houston and Daniel Boone — all of whom were honored with Polaris submarine names. TENNESSEE completed the Submarine Force’s 3000th strategic deterrent patrol in 1992. Con- sidering Regulus, Polaris/Poseidon and Trident patrols, that’s very im- pressive!
As the United States geared up for its Bicentennial celebrations, SECNAV William Middendorf championed a replacement for the aging fleet ballistic missile submarines — the famed “41 For Freedom” boats. It is during his tenure that OHIO (SSBN-726) became the lead ship in a new class of submarine that carried the Trident missile. Admiral Hyman Rickover noted that “OHIO should strike fear in the hearts of our ene- mies”. The ship’s sponsor is Annie Glenn, wife of the late Senator John Glenn. OHIO was converted to SSGN at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and now the 36-year old submarine is capable of carrying Tomahawk cruise missiles and Navy SEALs.
Eighteen Ohio-class boomers were commissioned over a 16-year pe- riod. One of them is MARYLAND (SSBN-738), now a quarter century old, and sponsored by Admiral Charles Larson’s wife Sally. In a way, the journey for a new state namesake begins in the state sharing its name, enabling a connection between its citizens and the officers and crew. The Navy is extending the life of the Trident II D-5 missile and the first two were recently integrated into MARYLAND’s arsenal. Before there was a submarine named after Maryland, there was a cruiser and then a battleship.
By law, battleships had to bear state names. However some cruis- ers were also named after states. As battleship construction progressed, the Navy began to run out of state names, just as it is today running out of state names for VA-class submarines. To comply with the law, cruisers were renamed for cities within their states, thus freeing state names for more battleships. For example, cruiser MARYLAND became FREDERICK in 1916, freeing the name for BB-46. By the 1920s, state names were reserved exclusively for battleships. Most of our boomers had state-named battleship predecessors.
VIRGINIA (SSN-774) is the lead ship in the newest generation of at- tack submarines. She was named by SECNAV John Dalton after the mar- itime state that is home to one of our two remaining submarine-building shipyards. In naming a submarine after a state, a special bond between the state and its namesake is formed. VIRGINA was commissioned in her home state by ship’s sponsor Lynda Johnson Robb, wife of former Virginia governor and Senator Charles Robb and daughter of former President Lyndon Johnson. The lead ship in the 4-submarine Block I contract is already 13 years old. VIRGINIA was selected as one of the first attack submarines to integrate female sailors into ship’s company.
WEST VIRGINIA (SSBN-736) honors the mountain state of west of Virginia, in fact, the ship’s motto, Montani Semper Liberi, means Moun- taineers Are Always Free. The ship’s sponsor is Erma, wife of the late Senator Robert Byrd. There is a very special bond between the sub- marine and the West Virginia Children’s Home which provides social services to youth ages 12 to 18 years old. Some of the WEST VIRGIN- IA’s interior décor features memorabilia contributed by the West Virginia University Mountaineers.
Our VA-class submarines are being jointly constructed by Gener- al Dynamics Electric Boat and Huntington Ingalls Industries-Newport News Shipbuilding with assembly in alternating shipyards. NORTH CAROLINA (SSN-777) was named by SECNAV Richard Danzig and constructed in Newport News. Her ship’s sponsor, Admiral Frank “Skip” Bowman’s wife Linda, commissioned our fourth VA-class in her home state, not far from battleship NORTH CAROLINA. Some teak wood from BB-55 has been recycled and inlaid in select locations of the submarine’s deck such as just inside the skipper’s stateroom.
STRATCOM has a highly coveted award for excellence in strategic deterrence. It is called the Omaha Trophy and is awarded annually in the categories of strategic bombers, Minuteman ICBMs and Ohio-class fleet ballistic missile submarines which comprise our strategic nuclear deterrent triad. Since 1994, ten of our boomers — the sea-based leg of the triad — have won this prestigious honor; namely, ALABAMA, ALAS- KA, FLORIDA, KENTUCKY, LOUISIANA, MARYLAND, NEBRASKA, PENNSYLVANIA, RHODE ISLAND and WYOMING. But ALASKA has
been honored the most, winning the Omaha Trophy in 2005, 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2016. It is interesting to note that three of the four Navy Admi- rals who have been STRATCOM commanding officers have been sub- mariners. They are Admirals Hank Chiles (1994-1996), Richard Mies (1998-2002) and Cecil Haney (2013-2016).
The boomer PENNSYLVANIA (SSBN-735), now 28 yrs old, has dis- tinguished herself by achieving several major milestones. In 2005, a year after winning the Omaha Trophy, she completed her 50th patrol and spelled out the news with an on-deck crew formation in whites. In 2014 her Gold crew made the longest patrol to date — a record 140 days! PENNSYLVANIA’s ship’s sponsor is SECNAV H. Lawrence Garrett’s wife Marilyn.
One of our submarines came under attack in the Arctic in 2003. CON- NECTICUT (SSN-22), one of three Seawolf-class, surfaced through the ice and encountered a hostile polar bear that proceeded to gnaw on the ship’s rudder. CONNECTICUT returned to the Arctic for ICEX-2011, presumably with a polar bear watch stationed. As former Connecticut Governor John Rowland’s wife and ship’s sponsor Patricia knows, a close partnership with its namesake submarine is highly important to the state, especially a state like Connecticut that is home to our other subma- rine-building shipyard.
Our 5th VA-class and lead ship of the 6-submarine Block II con- tract, NEW HAMPSHIRE (SSN-778), also participated in ICEX-2011. Inspired by a bunch of letter-writing elementary school children, she was named by SECNAV Gordon England. New Hampshire has the shortest coastline of any state bordering on the sea so she was commissioned in the Navy’s first shipyard — Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine which was established in 1800 and built its first submarine in 1917. NEW HAMPSHIRE’s sponsor is Cheryl McGuinness, widow of American Airlines co-pilot Thomas McGuiness who on 9/11 was forced to fly flight 11 into New York’s Twin Towers. At commissioning, Cheryl emphasized the new submarine’s mission in the War on Terrorism.
RHODE ISLAND (SSBN-740) had to wait ten hull numbers. Al- though the keel for SSBN-730 was laid as RHODE ISLAND, hull 730 was renamed to honor Senator Henry Jackson who died suddenly in of- fice. Rhode Island is recognized for its maritime heritage and the pride it takes in forging strong bonds with the ship’s Blue and Gold crews. The RHODE ISLAND ship’s sponsor is Kati Machtley. The submarine was the first Trident to be commissioned at home, in this case, Newport, Rhode Island.
NEW MEXICO (SSN-779) was named by SECNAV Gordon England after being besieged by thousands of letters from the Land of Enchant- ment. The ship’s sponsor is Admiral Ed Giambastiani’s wife Cindy. The keel ceremony featured a blessing in the Navajo language by a Navajo Code Talker. The ship’s motto is in Spanish, Defendemos Nuestra Tier- ra, the galley specializes in New Mexico cuisine, the state theme is in- stilled in the living quarters décor and the commanding officer for PCU NEW MEXICO was a native New Mexican — all emphasizing the state’s tri-culture. After ICEX-2014, NEW MEXICO became the first VA-class to surface at the North Pole and there she conducted a burial-at-sea for a WWII combat submariner.
At the opposite end of the planet, in 2002, MAINE (SSBN-741) de- ployed below the Antarctic Circle. Then she really crossed the line in 2011 by transiting the Arctic Circle, always a navigational milestone where submarines enter the northern domain of the polar bear. A special ceremony inducted the crew into the Order of the Blue Nose. MAINE’s ship’s sponsor is former White House Chief of Staff Thomas McLarty’s wife Donna. This boomer is known for long patrols — completing a 96-day patrol in 2008 and a 105-day patrol in 2010. The ship’s crest has 23 stars as the 23rd state; 16 beams of light from a lighthouse represent Maine’s 16 counties and MAINE being the 16th Trident submarine.
ALASKA (SSBN-732), appropriately, has also ventured north. She celebrated the Fourth of July in 1987 in her honorary homeport of Seward, Alaska. Besides winning many STRATCOM Omaha Trophies, ALASKA in 2014 became the first SSBN to ever win the Atlantic Fleet’s Battenberg Cup for operational excellence. Her ship’s sponsor is the venerable Senator Ted Stevens’ wife Catherine.
MISSOURI (SSN-780) was named by SECNAV Donald Winter to honor a state known for continuous support of the military. The ship’s sponsor is former SECDEF Robert Gates’ wife Rebecca. There is an- other famous Missouri namesake, Mighty Mo, the legendary BB-63 that served as the venue where Admiral Nimitz and General MacArthur ac- cepted the unconditional surrender of the Japanese in 1945. Missouri is the Show-Me State — Missourians don’t just want to be told about a submarine named after their state, they want to be shown submarine MISSOURI, and of course they have had several occasions to see her during construction milestone ceremonies.
Many of our VA-class boats have been commissioned and have been in service for some time. Others are nearing completion but are not yet wet. Others have been named but their pressure hulls are still taking shape in the two shipyards. And yet four hulls; namely, SSN-802, SSN- 803, SSN-804 and SSN-805 have been authorized for construction but at this writing (August 2017) have yet to be named.
MISSISSIPPI (SSN-782) was named by SECNAV Donald Winter as a salute to the state’s long-standing shipbuilding tradition and the peo- ple’s indomitable fighting spirit — together an inspiration to all sailors who embark on the Mighty MISSISSIPPI, and by the way, get to en- joy Mississippi cuisine. She was commissioned at home in Pascagoula, whose shipyard constructed 13 nuclear submarines from the mid-50s to the early 70s. The principal address was presented by former Mississip- pi Governor (and SECNAV) Ray Mabus. The ship’s sponsor is Deputy Assistant SECNAV Allison Stiller. The ship’s crest appropriately in- cludes an alligator — MISSISSIPPI can attack in the water and on land
— like a gator.
Mississippi’s eastern neighbor has been honored with a namesake boomer for 32 years. ALABAMA (SSBN-731) has been seen by ev- eryone who has seen the 1995 movie Crimson Tide — that was her in the movie’s outbound diving scene as the soundtrack played The Navy Hymn. Her ship’s sponsor is Congressman William Dickinson’s wife Barbara. ALABAMA completed the Navy’s 100th Trident patrol in 1988. Her crew survived Pacific Shellback initiations in 1986 and 1989.
CALIFORNIA (SSN-781) was named by SECNAV Donald Winter after the Golden State to honor the many Californians serving in today’s armed forces. The selection of this state name is a most fitting tribute to its long-standing support of the Navy, including Naval Station Point Loma in San Diego and former Mare Island Naval Shipyard in Vallejo, our first naval base on the Pacific coast. MINSY built many diesel boats during WWII, and seventeen nuclear submarines, including seven boom- ers, during the 50s and 60s. CALIFORNIA’s motto is Silence is Gold- en and her ship’s sponsor is Admiral Robert Willard’s wife Donna. On commissioning day, it rained on CALIFORNIA’s parade. The ceremony took place in a hangar at Naval Station Norfolk while the submarine, moored a mile away, weathered a ferocious nor’easter.
As the Soviet threat evaporated and the Cold War ended, we reduced our ballistic missile fleet from 18 to 14. Consequently, our four oldest Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines underwent extreme makeovers to provide unprecedented covert strike and special operations mission capabilities. They were converted to guided missile submarines, under- went mid-life refueling and a life extension from 30 years to 42 years, and returned to service as SSGNs during the period 2006-2008. Each SSGN can carry 154Tomahawk cruise missiles and 66 Navy SEALs.
MICHIGAN (SSGN-727) was commissioned as our second Ohio- class SSBN. Her ship’s sponsor is Mrs. Margaret Nedzi. Like OHIO, she was converted to SSGN at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and returned to service in 2007. Ten years later MICHIGAN docked in Busan, South Korea as a show of force at a time of heightened tensions with North Ko- rea. She is 35 years old. It is interesting to note that submarine MICHI-GAN is hull 727 and battleship MICHIGAN was hull 27.
FLORIDA (SSGN-728), now 34 years old, was converted from SSBN to SSGN at Norfolk Naval Shipyard, recommissioned and re- turned to service in 2006. Her ship’s sponsor is DEPSECDEF Frank Carlucci’s wife Marcia. Florida loves the ocean; there is no point in the state more than 100 miles from deep water. Florida’s Naval Ordnance Test Unit at Port Canaveral is a busy center for submarine operations. In response to Chinese missile testing in the contested East China Sea, OHIO, MICHIGAN and FLORIDA all surfaced simultaneously in the waters off the Philippines, South Korea, and the British Indian Ocean Territory, respectively.
GEORGIA (SSGN-729), our 4th SSBN, is named for our 4th state. Former First Lady Rosalyn Carter stepped up to the plate and presided over the keel authentication ceremony. The ship is sponsored by Admiral James Watkins’ wife Sheila. After 65 deterrent patrols, GEORGIA was converted from SSBN to SSGN at Norfolk Naval Shipyard and returned to service in 2008. Presently the 33-year old submarine is homeported in her namesake state.
LOUISIANA (SSBN-743), our 18th and last boomer, is named for our 18th state, and accordingly, there are 18 stars in the ship’s crest — a crest replete with crawfish and pelican symbols which serve as remind- ers to the crew of their strong bond to the people, culture and history of Louisiana. Her ship’s sponsor is Patricia O’Keefe. LOUISIANA may be our youngest boomer but she is already 20 yrs old.
Just as the Ohio-class replaced our aging Polaris/Poseidon missile submarines, the need is coming for an Ohio Replacement Program. The COLUMBIA, named after the District of Columbia, now in the advanced procurement phase, will be the lead ship. ORP calls for a new fleet of 12 ballistic missile submarines, with COLUMBIA deploying around 2031.
Our 10th VA-class hails from the land of 10,000 or so lakes and its ship’s crest, to the delight of her undersea warriors, includes a Viking warrior. MINNESOTA (SSN-783) was named by SECNAV Donald Win- ter in 2008 to honor the state’s citizens and their non-stop support of our military. Her ship’s sponsor is Admiral Gary Roughead’s wife Ellen. SECNAV Ray Mabus was the keynote speaker at the commissioning ceremony. Like her sister ship VIRGINIA, MINNESOTA was selected to integrate female sailors into ship’s company. Crew members visiting the state have raved about the pride Minnesotans have taken in the subma- rine named after their state.
NORTH DAKOTA (SSN-784), the lead ship in the 8-submarine Block III contract, was named by SECNAV Donald Winter after a hard- fought naming campaign waged from Bismarck. Block III submarines have a reconfigured bow that houses 12 Tomahawk cruise missiles load- ed in tubes similar to SSGNs, six in each of two Virginia Payload Tubes. In July 2017, in the spirit of the Old West, NORTH DAKOTA fired two Tomahawks — the first to exercise her twin six-shooters!
In June 2016, NEVADA (SSBN-733) celebrated the 30th anniver- sary of her commissioning. Nevadans take great pleasure honoring the history and heritage of their namesake boat and her crew members who sacrifice so much defending our freedoms. Her ship’s sponsor is former Senator Paul Laxalt’s wife Carol. NEVADA’s motto is simply Silent Sentry, just as simple as her namesake’s nickname — the Silver State.
In Nebraska, there is tremendous support for NEBRASKA (SSBN- 739). There, Cornhuskers work hard in honoring the legacy of their namesake boomer. In a recent crew visit, NEBRASKA sailors attended a College World Series game hosted by the Big Red Sub Club, Nebraska Land Days festivities in North Platte, an event sponsored by the Ne- braska Admirals Association in Kearney, and a visit to STRATCOM in Omaha. NEBRASKA is our 14th SSBN and battleship NEBRASKA was BB-14. The ship’s sponsor is former Senator James Exon’s wife Patri- cia. NEBRASKA was the first Ohio-class to visit Europe and Halifax, Canada.
The Honorable Raymond Mabus, former naval officer, ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Mississippi Governor, and our 75th Secretary of the Navy, had one of the longest SECNAV tenures in re- cent history (2009-2017). In 2012, SECNAV Mabus announced plans to name five VA-class after the states of Illinois, Washington, Colorado, Indiana and South Dakota.
ILLINOIS (SSN-786) was named in a ceremony at Chicago’s Navy Pier, not far from the Great Lakes Naval Training Center. As the ship’s sponsor, former First Lady Michelle Obama christened ILLINOIS on the third whack of a seemingly unbreakable champagne bottle.
WASHINGTON (SSN-787) was named to recognize Washington’s significant Navy presence, in fact, the third largest fleet concentration in the country, with Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Naval Base Kit- sap-Bangor. In a way, WASHINGTON’s keel ceremony was a family affair as SECNAV Mabus introduced his oldest daughter Elisabeth as the ship’s sponsor.
COLORADO (SSN-788) was named at the State Capitol in Denver. SECNAV Mabus’ second oldest daughter Annie is the ship’s sponsor. At christening she smashed a bottle of sparkling Colorado wine against the hull. Following New Mexico’s lead, Colorado Navy Leaguers have done a magnificent job of instilling a Rocky Mountain theme in COLO- RADO’s crews mess.
Indiana was honored by our 16th VA-class. INDIANA (SSN-789) pays tribute to all Hoosiers who have served, or are serving, in the Navy. Admiral Kirkland Donald’s wife Diane is the ship’s sponsor. Vice Presi- dent Mike Pence, who previously served as the 50th governor of Indiana, delivered the christening ceremony’s principal address. It was a rather emotional experience for him to see the Indiana flag fluttering just below the American flag in Newport News. He commented that “USS INDI- ANA is a worthy inheritor of the name and legacy of our state. More than 100 Hoosier businesses have contributed to this boat’s creation.”
SOUTH DAKOTA (SSN-790) was named in a ceremony at the Bat- tleship South Dakota Memorial in Sioux Falls. The naming has become a fitting tribute to battle-scarred BB-57, a highly decorated warship of World War II, and great source of pride for all South Dakotans. Army General Martin Dempsey’s wife Deanie is the ship’s sponsor. SOUTH DAKOTA is serving as a prototype for maintaining acoustic superiority.
Just to the west of South Dakota lies Wyoming. In 2009, the Tri- dent submarine WYOMING (SSBN-742) had the honor of completing our Submarine Force’s 1000th Trident patrol. Wyoming was the first state to approve women’s suffrage legislation in 1869, then first to have a woman justice of the peace, then first to select women jurors and now its namesake submarine is one of the first to allow women in submarines. The crew love to visit the state during Cheyenne Frontier Days. WYO-MING is 21 years old which happens to also be the average age of her crew. Her ship’s sponsor is Admiral William Owens’ wife Monika.
KENTUCKY (SSBN-737) was christened by Carolyn Hopkins with a bottle of custom blend Kentucky bourbon. The ship’s sponsor is the wife of former Congressman Larry Hopkins. Kentucky serves as an ex- tended family to the crew, for example, its Thoroughbred Sub Club pro- vides liaison between the submarine and the state.
In November 2012, SECNAV Mabus chose the name Delaware to honor the long-standing relationship between the Navy and our nation’s first state. The first ship named after the state was a frigate launched in 1776. The ship’s sponsor for DELAWARE (SSN-791) is former Second Lady Jill Biden.
In April 2014, the Navy awarded a historic $17.6 billion multi-year contract to Electric Boat to support the acquisition of 10 Block IV Vir- ginia-class submarines. VERMONT (SSN-792) was named by SECNAV Mabus that September and is the lead ship in Block IV. Harvard Pres- ident Drew Gilpin Faust is the ship’s sponsor. The following month, SECNAV named our 20th VA-class OREGON (SSN-793). The ship’s sponsor is Admiral John Richardson’s wife Dana.
NEW JERSEY (SSN-796) was named by SECNAV Mabus in Jersey City in May 2015 to meld the submarine’s fighting spirit with the state’s pride in its awesome heritage. John Philip Holland, the Irish engineer, designed and built the Navy’s first submarines in Elizabeth, New Jersey, the very first commissioned submarine being USS HOLLAND (SS-1).
SECNAV Mabus named IDAHO (SSN-799) in August 2015 at the Western Idaho Fair in Boise. The state is known for its Farragut Naval Training Station that operated during WWII as the second largest recruit training center. Idaho has taken great pride in serving as the home of the Naval Reactors Facility located within the Idaho National Labora- tory, and the fact that nearly 40,000 Navy personnel have been trained in surface and submarine nuclear power plant operations. On the same naming road trip, in Ames, Iowa, SECNAV named our 24th VA-class IOWA (SSN-797) to honor the history its namesake state has with the Navy. Iowa is home to former Naval Air Station Ottumwa.
On another road trip in September 2015, SECNAV Mabus hosted a double naming ceremony. He named MONTANA (SSN-794) and littoral combat ship BILLINGS as “enduring reminders of the service and sac- rifice made by generations of Montanans who have always been first in line to volunteer for service.” The Navy tried to honor Montana twice before but, as they say, third time’s a charm: battleship MONTANA’s keel was laid in 1918, but the post-WWI Washington Naval Treaty lim- ited the size of America’s fleet and construction on BB-51 was canceled; then in 1940 the Navy authorized the Montana-class battleships, with a flagship designated BB-67. Those plans were also scrapped. Submarine MONTANA’s ship’s sponsor is Senator Jon Tester’s wife Sharla.
MASSACHUSETTS (SSN-798) was named by SECNAV Mabus in November 2015 and Facebook’s chief operating officer, Sheryl Sand- berg, was designated the ship’s sponsor. Next came ARKANSAS (SSN- 800), named in January 2016. Mabus served aboard the now-decommis- sioned cruiser named for Arkansas’s capital city.
Also in January 2016, SECNAV Ray Mabus named his 16th VA- class UTAH (SSN-801), thus completing the naming of all Block IV sub- marines. It happens that area code 801 covers much of the area along the Wasatch Range including Salt Lake City. Mabus designated his young- est daughter, Kate, as UTAH’s ship’s sponsor.
The Honorable Ray Mabus was the longest-running Navy Secretary since WWI. His naming 16 VA-class submarines, six in Block III and 10 in Block IV, is quite impressive, and all but one were named after states. SECNAV Mabus honored the Father of Our Nuclear Navy by designat- ing one of the Block IV submarines HYMAN G. RICKOVER (SSN-795). The announcement came on the 60th anniversary of NAUTILUS (SSN- 571) which radioed on January 17, 1955 “Underway on nuclear power”. A decommissioned LA-class submarine, hull SSN-709, had also been named in honor of the venerable Admiral Rickover.
Starting in 2019, the Virginia-class boats will be stretch versions to accommodate a Virginia Payload Module, an added hull section, 85 feet or so long, to provide additional Tomahawk missile capacity. Block V boats will house four additional launch tubes, each carrying seven Tomahawks, replacing the payloads of our four aging SSGNs — and just in time. The plan is to offset losses in our Tomahawk arsenal that are inherent to the phased retirement of our current SSGNs. With two six-shooters in the bow and four VPMs aft of the sail, the cruise missile payload for Block V boats becomes 40. There is the added possibility for carrying larger weapons in the future and even undersea vehicles.
In summary, as of this writing, 44 states have namesake submarines (17 boomers and 27 attack boats). The six remaining states are Arizo- na, Kansas, New York, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Wisconsin, all of which at one time were honored with namesake battleships.
Dick Brown is a member of USSVI’s Holland Club, a life member of the Navy League and former chairman of the USS New Mexico (SSN-779) Commission- ing Committee. As a long-time member of the Naval Submarine League, he is a frequent contributor to The Submarine Review.
