The US Navy commissioned USS Idaho (SSN 799), the 26th Virginia-class fast-attack submarine, during a ceremony at Naval Submarine Base New London, Connecticut on Saturday, according to the Department of the Navy.
Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao formally placed the ship in active service, with the submarine’s sponsor Teresa Stackley, daughter of a Navy sailor and spouse of former Assistant Secretary of the Navy Sean Stackley, giving the crew the traditional order to “man our ship and bring her to life” before the hoisting of the colours and commissioning pennant.
US Senator James Risch of Idaho delivered the principal address at the ceremony, which was also attended by Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Idaho Governor Brad Little, and senior Navy leadership including Admiral William Houston, Director of the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, alongside Mark Rayha, president of General Dynamics Electric Boat, which co-produces the Virginia class alongside HII Newport News Shipbuilding.
Idaho is the 26th Virginia-class submarine and the 14th delivered by General Dynamics Electric Boat, configured to the Block IV standard and christened at the Groton shipyard in March 2024. It is the fifth US Navy vessel to bear the name Idaho, following a wooden-hulled steam sloop commissioned in 1866 and most recently a New Mexico-class battleship commissioned in 1919 that earned seven battle stars for service in the Pacific campaign during the Second World War.
Each Virginia-class submarine displaces 7,800 tons, measures 377 feet in length with a beam of 34 feet, and is powered by a reactor plant designed not to require refuelling during the planned life of the ship, which the Navy says reduces life-cycle costs while increasing underway time. The class is designed with enhanced stealth, sophisticated surveillance capabilities and special operations enhancements intended to meet multi-mission requirements across a range of operational environments.
Cool beans.
Virginia was laid down in 1999.. so in 27 years they have commissioned 26… Los Angeles was laid down 1972 and over the next 26 years they commissioned 62.
That’s a massive problem for the USN, because they are mandated to have 66 boats with 54 deployable.. you cannot have 66 boats if you’re only building 26 in 27 years and your boats last 30 years… all the LA class will be gone by 2035 and all they will have left are the 3 sea Wolf class and Virginia class.. so about 40ish boats.. also their availability rate is only around 63%.. so about 25 boats available.. that’s less than half the numbers the USN is mandated to have available.
It’s a pretty huge failure.