Construction
began in 2010 at Newport News Shipbuilding. The USS John Warner was
christened on September 6, 2014 and launched four days later. The yard
delivered the sub on June 25, two-and-a-half months ahead of schedule.
This is the first
Virginia-class submarine to be named for a person rather than a state
and Norfolk will be its home port.
This ship is the
second of the Block III subs, which will have a revised bow and some
technology from Ohio-class cruise missile submarines. The Virginia-class
is 7,800-tons and 377 feet in length, has a beam of 34 feet, and can
operate at more than 25 knots submerged. It is designed with a reactor
plant that will not require refueling during the planned life of the
ship – reducing lifecycle costs while increasing underway time.
USS John Warner
will have the capability to attack targets ashore with highly-accurate
Tomahawk cruise missiles and conduct covert long-term surveillance
of land areas, littoral waters or other sea-based forces. Other missions
include anti-submarine and anti-ship warfare; mine delivery and minefield
mapping. It is also designed for special operations forces, thanks
to an Advanced SEAL Delivery System (ASDS).
Virginia-class USS John Warner (SSN 785) nuclear attack submarine