New Submarine Reaches Construction Milestone
NAVSEA News Wire
Release Date: 11/22/2002
By Program Executive Office for Submarines Public Affairs
WASHINGTON -- The Navy's newest submarine bearing the name Virginia reached a significant construction milestone when the pressure hull assembly was completed at General Dynamics Electric Boat shipyard. Virginia (SSN 774) is the first of the Navy's newest class of nuclear powered submarines.
The pressure hull is assembled from a series of large steel cylinders welded together to form the familiar cigar shape of a submarine. The pressure hull is designed to resist the pressure of water and to maintain a livable environment for the crew.
Virginia is now more than 80 percent constructed, and is on schedule for delivery in June 2004. With a modular design and a teamed construction effort between Electric Boat and Northrop Grumman Newport News, the Navy has reduced acquisition costs and increased construction efficiency.
From keel to mast, Virginia has been designed to support multiple warfare missions from the deep blue waters to coastal shallows of the world's oceans. With its inherent stealth and a state-of-the-art Command, Control, Communications and Intelligence system, the Virginia will provide an unprecedented level of anti-submarine warfare capability, special operations and battle group support, littoral operations capability and covert intelligence/surveillance.
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