OCT 13 2017
The US Navy's newest Virginia-class nuclear attack
submarine is set to be christened as South Dakota (SSN 790).
SSN 790's naming ceremony will be held on 14 October
at General Dynamics wholly owned subsidiary Electric Boat’s shipyard in Groton,
Connecticut, US.
The wife of former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
and retired US Army General Martin Dempsey, Deanie Dempsey, is expected to
lead the christening ceremony.
South Dakota represents the 17th ship of the
Virginia-class. The keel for the vessel was initially laid in April 2016.
The submarine is expected to be commissioned for service
in the second half of 2018.
South Dakota is also the seventh of the eight-ship group
of Virginia-class Block III submarines, which are equipped
with water-backed large aperture bow (LAB) array systems.
"South Dakota is also the seventh of the eight-ship
group of Virginia-class Block III submarines, which are equipped with
water-backed large aperture bow (LAB) array systems."
The LAB provides enhanced passive detection capabilities
and is intended to replace the 12 individual vertical launch system (VLS) tubes
with two large-diameter, 87in Virginia payload tubes (VPTs).
The VPTs are designed to provide greater payload
flexibility than previous models, and each tube is capable of launching six
Tomahawk cruise missiles.
Virginia-class submarines are capable of conducting
anti-submarine, anti-surface ship and strike warfare, as well as
special operation forces support.
The vessels can also be deployed for a variety
of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance operations, in addition
to irregular warfare and mine warfare missions.
The Virginia-class vessels are being built under a
teaming agreement between General Dynamics Electric Boat and its partner
Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Newport News Shipbuilding.
To date, total of 28 Virginia-class submarines have
either been delivered or are currently under construction
/ under contract.
Original post: naval-technology.com
Virginia-class submarine (7th Block III type)
Published on Nov 6, 2015
Virginia class attack submarine: Details
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