Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–November 19, 2012. Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced today that the next Virginia-class attack submarine will be named the USS Delaware. Dr. Jill Biden will sponsor the USS Delaware. A longtime Delaware educator and military mom, Dr. Biden started Joining Forces with First Lady Michelle Obama to encourage all Americans to recognize, honor and support military families.
Mabus named the future USS Delaware in honor of the first state in the Union. The name honors the great contributions and support Delaware has given the military through the years and pays homage to the state’s more than two centuries of naval heritage.
“I chose the name Delaware to honor the long-standing relationship between the Navy and our nation’s first state,” said Mabus. “It has been too long since there has been a USS Delaware in the fleet and this submarine will remind future deployed service members and state residents of their strong ties and many shared values for decades to come.”
“As a proud military mom, and a proud Delawarean, I am honored to sponsor the USS Delaware,” said Dr. Biden. “Our men and women in uniform and their families represent the very best of America, and wherever the Delaware goes, it will take with it the strength, resilience, and bravery of military families in Delaware and across the country.”
In 2011, Dr. Biden and First Lady Michelle Obama started Joining Forces, a nationwide initiative to encourage all Americans to recognize, honor and support military families.
The Virginia-class submarine will be the seventh ship of the U.S. Navy to be named the USS Delaware. Previously named ships include a frigate launched in 1776, a merchant ship guarding convoys during the Quasi-War with France, a ship-of-the-line decommissioned during the Civil War, a side-wheel steamer decommissioned at the Washington Navy Yard in 1865, a screw-steamer renamed Delaware in 1869, and a battleship that served during WWI and was decommissioned in 1923.
This next-generation attack submarine will provide the Navy with the capabilities required to maintain the nation’s undersea supremacy well into the 21st century. It will have enhanced stealth, sophisticated surveillance capabilities and special warfare enhancements that will enable it to meet the Navy’s multi-mission requirements.
The USS Delaware 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, anti-ship, and mine warfare.
The Virginia-class submarine 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. The USS Delaware will be built by Huntington Ingalls Industries in partnership with the Electric Boat division of General Dynamics in Newport News, Va.
High resolution photos and video are available online at https://s3.amazonaws.com/Customer-delivery/Virginia+Class+Sub+Broll%3Aphotos.zip .
Additional information about the Virginia-class submarine is available online at http://www.navy.mil/navydata/fact_display.asp?cid=4100&tid=100&ct=4 .
Additional information about previous Delaware ships is available online at the Naval History and Heritage Command website: http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/d3-list.htm .
Source: defense.gov
