Breaking news
Block III Virginia-Class Submarine USS Washington - SSN 787 - Commissioned in the US Navy.
| 2017
|
|||
Newport News Shipbuilding delivered Washington (SSN 787) to the U.S. Navy with the highest-ever Figure of Merit score for a new construction Virginia-class submarine. Photo by Matt Hildreth/HII
|
|||
|
|||
Washington is a flexible, multi-mission platform designed to carry out the seven core competencies of the submarine force: anti-submarine warfare; anti-surface warfare; delivery of special operations forces; strike warfare; irregular warfare; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; and mine warfare. Their inherent stealth, endurance, mobility, and firepower directly enable them to support five of the six maritime strategy core capabilities: sea control, power projection, forward presence, maritime security and deterrence. The submarine is 377 feet long, has a 34-foot beam, and will be able to dive to depths greater than 800 feet and operate at speeds in excess of 25 knots submerged. It will operate for over 30 years without ever refueling. Construction on Washington began September 2011; the submarine's keel was authenticated during a ceremony on Nov. 22, 2014; and the submarine was christened during a ceremony March 5, 2016. |
|||