The U.S. Navy has just received its 25th Virginia-class submarine, USS Massachusetts, courtesy of HII’s Newport News Shipyard (NNS).
The fast-attack submarine, which was christened back in May 2023, is the 12th Virginia-class submarine delivered by NNS. The other firm involved in the construction programme is General Dynamics Electric Boat.
“Delivering Massachusetts after its rigorous sea trials is an important milestone commitment for our team this year,” NNS President Kari Wilkinson said.
“We are absolutely steadfast in our resolve to increase the pace of submarine construction and see this as a solid step toward our overall objective.”
As per an NNS press statement, more than 10,000 shipbuilders from NNS and Electric Boat were involved in building Massachusetts, as well as thousands of suppliers.
The nuclear-powered attack submarine is 115 metres long and has a 10-metre beam; she is capable of a maximum speed of in excess of 25 knots and has a crew of about 135. One more Block IV boat, the future USS Arkansas, is also under construction at the yard.
The Block IV submarines are able to carry 37 Tomahawk cruise missiles; 12 of these can be fired via vertical launch tubes, the remainder via torpedo tubes.
They are designed for a range of missions including anti-submarine warfare (ASW), anti-ship warfare, strike warfare, special operations, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), and mine warfare.
NNS is also currently building four more Block V variants, the Oklahoma, Barb, Wahoo and Silversides. Two further boats, Long Island and Miami have also been authorised.
Virginia-class submarines are scheduled to be built until at least 2043, and are likely to stay in active service until at least 2060, with the newest boats expected to operate into the 2070s.
- You can read more details on the HII website