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The Virginia-class
submarine is widely referred to as "the world's most technologically
advanced submarine," and for those who are interested, a significant
amount of technical information is readily available on her
capabilities. What many Submarine Force personnel are wondering,
however, is when they can actually be assigned to this new class of
ship. As Officer-in-Charge of Virginia's Pre-Commissioning Unit, I
encounter many people around SUBASE New London who notice my Virginia
ball cap and express great interest in serving on a Virginia-class
submarine. Often they are curious about how far along we are in the ship's
construction and manning phases. Accordingly, for these curious
individuals I offer a current status report on PCU Virginia.
Presently, there are 53 crewmembers
assigned to Virginia, with 39 nuclear-trained personnel, including
myself, the Executive Officer, Engineer, Navigator, and four LDO
division officers. In addition, I have two master chiefs (Chief of the
Boat and Engineering Department Master Chief), and a chief corpsman,
yeoman, supply chief, and a LAN administrator to round out the crew. The
enlisted crewmembers have five-year projected rotation dates and are
part of the first crew increment, called Increment A. Their initial
manning date was 15 May 2000, after completion of the Reactor Plant
Design School in April.
Increment A will be onboard through
construction and sea trials, and remain until Post Shakedown
Availability, which is typically about a year after delivery. Increment
B will report in June 2002 and will include about 50 more crewmembers,
including Auxiliary Division, Weapons Department, and Operations
Department personnel. Three split-tour submarine-qualified junior
officers and the ship's four department heads will also report with
Increment B. Since the Virginia-class modular construction program has
required Navy operational support at a much earlier date than previous
new construction programs, the Increment A OIC, XO, and Engineer will
also change over at the Increment B timeframe. This manning sequence
will be the same for subsequent ships of this class.
PCU Virginia (SSN-774) Increment
A crew |
The Virginia-class submarines are being
built at both Electric Boat (EB) and Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS).
Each shipyard constructs about one half of each ship and for the most
part repeats the build of the same sections each time. The constructed
sections from each shipyard are barged to their counterpart, and the
shipyard designated as the "delivery yard" for that ship completes
the construction. The delivery yard is also where the pre-commissioning
crew will be stationed, and where the ship will undergo an extensive
pre-delivery certification test pro-gram. Therefore, the crew of Texas
(SSN-775) (the second Virginia-class ship) will report to NNS; the crew
of Hawaii (SSN-776) will report to EB; and the crew of North Carolina
(SSN-777) will report to NNS. Homeports for the ships have not yet been
assigned.
Since construction occurs at two separate
shipyards, it may not be readily apparent how far along each ship is in
construction. At this time, if the existing hull sections and completed
components for Virginia were put together, she would be just under 50
percent complete. Texas is almost 30 percent com-plete, and Hawaii
about
5 percent. Due to the way the submarines are being constructed, some
sections are nearly finished while other sections consist of only rolled
steel. For example, the forward part of Virginia's Engine Room and the
Reactor Compartment are so far along that ship's force has recently
commenced watch standing and testing in that section. Virginia's sea
trials are scheduled for March 2004, with delivery scheduled for June
2004. Texas is scheduled for delivery in June 2005.
Photo by Chris Oxley, NNS
Looking Ahead.
Virginia's sea trials are scheduled for March 2004; the second
ship of the class, USS Texas (SSN-775), is currently on track
for delivery in 2005. Pictured here, Virginia construction
continues at Newport News Shipbuilding. |
One significant change in this new construction program involves the
way the Control Room and Combat Systems are being manufactured and
tested. The Command and Control System Module (CCSM) is now being tested
with a large contingent of contractor personnel and some Navy personnel
assigned at EB. Once the testing is complete, the CCSM will be slid into
its hull section for future joining to the full ship.
Benefiting from the considerable strides the Navy has made in using
computer applications over the past several years, the Virginia class
will mark an impressive milestone in the use of advanced networking.
Everything from qualifications, administration, and logs to maintenance
and operating procedures - both forward and aft - will be managed on
an in-house Non-Tactical Data Processing System. This system consists of
six Windows 2000 servers and 12 central processors with the capability
of storing a staggering two tera-bytes of data - the computing power
and capabilities of the tactical side are even more complex.
The office building where crewmembers work while
Virginia is under
construction is located at the EB facilities and has a replica of the
extremely sophisticated LAN that will be used on the ship. Using this
LAN, the Virginia crew is developing a streamlined connectivity process
and is perfecting methods of conducting business in a paperless
environment. Taking the existing database and downloading it onto the
ship's network is all that will be required to shift operations from
the PCU office building to the boat.
In concluding this status report, I
should answer the initial question on many submariners' minds: How do
I get involved? For those interested in being a part of one of the first
Virginia-class ships, Increment B manning for Virginia is scheduled for
June 2002, and Incre-ment A manning for Texas is scheduled for January
2002. If you are interested in serving on these ships, I encourage you
to talk to your detailer soon - it will be an experience you won't
regret. Personally, I have to say that it is a remarkable plat-form to
work on; the advances throughout the ship are extensive, in both the
electronics and mechanical areas. Everyone assigned to one of these
ships will find significant improvements all around.
(above) The Command and Control
System module (CCSM) workstations.
(right) The CCSM is delivered to
Groton, CT. |
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(above left) A part of the hull
section is delivered to Electric Boat in Groton, CT.
(above right) USS Virginia's stern takes shape. |
It is certainly an exciting time for the
Submarine Force. The Virginia class is well on its way to becoming the
core of the attack submarine force of the future, and it is today's
submariners that have the opportunity to watch it all happen. The Virginia-class ships, and their future crews, promise to be key assets
in the future of the world's most powerful Submarine Force.
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