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USS Washington (SSN-787)

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For other ships with the same name, see USS Washington.

USS Washington (SSN-787)
Washington in October 2017
History
United States
NameUSS Washington
NamesakeState of Washington
Awarded22 December 2008
BuilderNewport News Shipbuilding
Laid down22 November 2014[1]
Launched13 April 2016
Sponsored byElisabeth Mabus[2]
Christened5 March 2016[3]
Acquired26 May 2017[4]
Commissioned7 October 2017[2]
HomeportNaval Station Norfolk
Motto"Preserving Peace, Prepared for War"
StatusActive, In Commission
Badge
General characteristics
Class and typeVirginia-class submarine
Displacement7800 tons light, 7800 tons full
Length114.9 meters (377 feet)
Beam10.3 meters (34 feet)
Propulsion
  • 1 × S9G PWR nuclear reactor[5] 280,000 shp (210 MW), HEU 93%[6][7]
  • 2 × steam turbines 40,000 shp (30 MW)
  • 1 × single shaft pump-jet propulsor[5]
  • 1 × secondary propulsion motor[5]
Speed25 knots (46 km/h)[8]
RangeEssentially unlimited distance; 33 years
Test depthgreater than 800 feet (240 meters)[9]
Complement134 officers and men[8]

USS Washington (SSN-787) is a Virginia-class nuclear powered attack submarine of the United States Navy. Launched in 2016 and commissioned in 2017, she is named for the U.S. state of Washington.

History

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The contract to build the submarine was awarded to Huntington Ingalls Industries in partnership with the Electric Boat division of General Dynamics in Newport News, Virginia, on 22 December 2008. The boat became the fourth of the Block III submarines featuring a revised bow, including some technology from Ohio-class SSGNs.[10]

Construction began on 2 September 2011 at Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia.[11] On 13 April 2012, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced that SSN-787 would be named after the State of Washington,[12] which was celebrated during a naming ceremony in Seattle on 7 February 2013.[13] The Navy christened Washington on 5 March 2016, during a ceremony at Newport News Shipbuilding.[14] Her keel was laid down on 22 November 2014. She was launched on 13 April 2016, sponsored by Elisabeth Mabus (daughter of Secretary Mabus), and commissioned on 7 October 2017.[2] At the time of her commissioning, she was under the command of Commander Gabriel Cavazos.[2]

In March 2020, Cavazos was relieved by Commander Eric Astle in a ceremony at Naval Station Norfolk.[15] At the time, she had recently returned from a deployment covering approximately 45,000 nautical miles (52,000 mi; 83,000 km) with stops in Rota, Spain, and Faslane, Scotland.[15]

Washington in September 2024

In late February 2022, Washington returned to Naval Station Norfolk after a deployment of 192 days of sustained operations, covering over 37,000 nautical miles (43,000 mi; 69,000 km), with stops in Haakonsvern, Norway; Tromsø, Norway; Faslane, Scotland; and Brest, France.[16][17] News reports indicated she was in Tromsø during January 11–14.[18]

In July 2022, Astle was relieved by Commander Clint Christofk in a ceremony at Naval Station Norfolk.[19] At the time, it was noted that the boat had undergone five months of emergency dry-dock repairs while under Astle's command.[19]

In December 2023, Washington returned to Naval Station Norfolk after a six-month deployment covering over 37,000 nautical miles, with stops in Scotland and Norway.[20] In July 2024, Christofk was relieved by Commander Keith Turnbull in a ceremony at Naval Station Norfolk.[21] At that ceremony, Washington was awarded a Presidential Unit Citation for completing "three demanding missions vital to national security that resulted in obtaining sensitive and unique intelligence information."[22]

In mid-September 2024, Washington made a stop at Submarine Base New London in Groton, Connecticut.[23] In late September 2024, the boat arrived at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine, for scheduled maintenance and system upgrades.[24] She had not deployed since her return to Norfolk in December 2023.[24]

Crest

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The crest contains images including Mount Rainier, the Seattle skyline, evergreen trees, and silhouettes of two previous USS Washingtons.

The central image is of the submarine, coming forth from the waters of the Puget Sound. The paint scheme is of local Native American art depicting an orca, the state's official marine mammal.

Along the top of the state border, six hollow stars represent previous naval vessels named for George Washington with two solid-gold stars representing the previous ships named for the state of Washington.

Further information: USS Washington

At the bottom, silver and gold submarine dolphins, represent the enlisted and officer Submarine Warfare insignia, respectively, sit atop a block of battleship armor plating.

The motto, "Preserving Peace, Prepared for War", is derived from a quote from George Washington, "To be prepared for war is one of the most effective means of preserving peace."[a]

Set behind the state is a ring adorned with the official Washington state tartan colored green (for the evergreen forests), blue (for the lakes, rivers, and ocean), white (for the snow-capped mountains), red (for the apple and cherry crops), yellow (for the wheat and grain crops), and black (for the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens).[25]

Battlecry

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Orca, more commonly known as killer whales, are referred to as "blackfish" by the Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest. This led to the crew unofficially referring to USS Washington as "The Blackfish", and gave rise to the battlecry "Fear the Blackfish".[26]

Notes

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  1. ^ See also Si vis pacem, para bellum.

References

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  1. ^ "Newport News Shipbuilding Hosts Keel-Laying Ceremony for Virginia-Class Submarine Washington (SSN 787)" (Press release). Huntington Ingalls Industries. 24 November 2014. Archived from the original on 27 November 2014. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
  2. ^ a b c d "USS Washington Brought to Life, Commissioned at Naval Station Norfolk" (Press release). United States Navy. 7 October 2017. NNS171007-05. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  3. ^ "Newport News Shipbuilding Christens 14th Virginia-Class Submarine, Washington (SSN 787)" (Press release). Huntington Ingalls Industries. 5 March 2016. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
  4. ^ "Huntington Ingalls Industries Delivers Virginia-Class Submarine Washington to Navy" (Press release). Huntington Ingalls Industries. 26 May 2017. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
  5. ^ a b c Ragheb, Magdi (9 September 2011), Tsvetkov, Pavel (ed.), "Nuclear Naval Propulsion", Nuclear Power - Deployment, Operation and Sustainability, ISBN 978-953-307-474-0
  6. ^ "Validation of the Use of Low Enriched Uranium as a Replacement for Highly Enriched Uranium in US Submarine Reactors" (PDF). dspace.mit.edu. June 2015. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  7. ^ "US study of reactor and fuel types to enable naval reactors to shift from HEU fuel". fissilematerials.org. 10 April 2020. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  8. ^ a b "The US Navy – Fact File". Archived from the original on 3 July 2007. Retrieved 5 July 2007.
  9. ^ Pike, John. "SSN-774 Virginia-class NSSN New Attack Submarine".
  10. ^ "Virginia Block III: The Revised Bow". defenseindustrydaily.com. Retrieved 20 May 2008.
  11. ^ "Navy begins effort to build two submarines a year". hamptonroads.com. Retrieved 20 September 2011.
  12. ^ "Navy Names Five New Submarines". defense.gov. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
  13. ^ "SECNAV Attends USS Washington Ship Naming Ceremony". navy.mil. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
  14. ^ "USS Washington (SSN 787) Christening Ceremony". dodlive.mil. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
  15. ^ a b "USS Washington (SSN 787) Conducts Change of Command". dvidshub.net (Press release). 12 March 2020. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  16. ^ "USS Washington Returns from Deployment". dvidshub.net (Press release). 27 February 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  17. ^ Astle, Eric (25 June 2022). "USS Washington Captains Log July 2022". bremolympicnlus.wordpress.com. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  18. ^ Nilsen, Thomas (11 January 2022). "US nuclear subs makes port call in Tromsø to collect supplies". thebarentsobserver.com. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  19. ^ a b "USS Washington Holds Change of Command". dvidshub.net (Press release). 8 July 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  20. ^ "USS Washington Returns from Deployment". dvidshub.net (Press release). 15 December 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  21. ^ "USS Washington Conducts Change of Command". navy.mil (Press release). 19 July 2024. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  22. ^ Yarborough, Justin (21 October 2024). "USS Washington SSN 787 awarded Presidential Unit Citation". navy.mil (Press release). Retrieved 24 October 2024.
  23. ^ "USS Washington (SSN 787) Arrives at Submarine Base New London". dvidshub.net (Press release). 16 September 2024. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  24. ^ a b Lenahan, Ian (27 September 2024). "USS Washington attack submarine arrives at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard: What to know". Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The Portsmouth Herald. Retrieved 28 September 2024 – via fosters.com.
  25. ^ "The first warship named "Washington" since World War II". Retrieved 18 April 2016.
  26. ^ ""Fear the Blackfish." USS Washington creates new traditions as it joins attack submarine fleet". 6 October 2017. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
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