The John Warner submarine (SSN 785) has been successfully delivered to the United States Navy by Huntington Ingalls Industries' (NYSE:HII) Newport News Shipbuilding division.
The submarine was delivered in a two-and-a-half-month advance, and is the first ever to be named for a person. The person in question being John Warner, who served as Navy Secretary and a Virginia Senate representer for 30 years.
Jeanne Warner, the Senator’s wife, christened the Virginia-class John Warner (SSN 785) on September 6th, last year. The submarine’s commissioning has been scheduled to take place on August 1st.
“This current submarine vessel serves as an embodiment of Senator Warner’s spirit and as a symbol of his unconditional support for the Navy and the yard. It is a unique event to name a boat after a living person, and we are nothing but proud to be able to deliver the John Warner submarine to the Navy because it is a continuation of the enduring legacy that Senator Warner has managed to build over the years,” commented Jim Hughes, Newport News’ submarine and fleet support vice president.
John Warner serves as the 12th submarine of the Virginia class and as Newport News’s 6th of its kind to be delivered. Approximately 4,000 shipbuilders in total have been involved in the construction of the submarine since it was initiated back in 2010.
“We are filled up with excitement to be joining the operation fleet and to be able to bring back the legacy of Senator Warner to the Navy, thus carrying on his tradition of providing his dedicated service to the nation. The crew and the vessel have been remarkable during the course of initial trials, and we simply can’t wait to begin the operational missions in store for us,” commented Cmdr. Dan Caldwell, the commanding officer of John Warner.
Newport News and General Dynamics Electric Boat have undergone a co-op effort for constructing submarines of the Virginia class that employ advanced technologies in order to increase maneuverability, firepower and stealth. The submarines have a length of 377 feet, a submerged speed capacity level of over 25 knots and are able to stay in a submerged stance for a maximum of 3 months per time.