Five Things to Know about USS Illinois (SSN 786)
The Virginia-class attack submarine USS Illinois (SSN 786) will be commissioned during a 11 a.m. ET ceremony at Submarine Base New London in Groton, Connecticut, Oct. 29, 2016, which you can watch here on Navy Live or on the Navy’s Facebook page.
Here are five things that you should know about the U.S. Navy’s newest fast attack submarine:
1. Namesake: USS Illinois is named after the 21st state added to the Union.
The submarine is the first Navy vessel named for the state since the battleship Illinois (BB 7) was commissioned in 1901. The first USS Illinois was a battleship and was part of President Theodore Roosevelt’s Great White Fleet that circumnavigated the world in 1907, introducing America as a global power.
2. Sponsor:
First Lady of the United States and Illinois native, Michelle Obama is the ship’s sponsor and will be in attendance for the commissioning.
The last submarine sponsored by a first lady was USS Texas (SSN 775), which was sponsored by Laura Bush and commissioned Sept. 9, 2006.
The ship sponsor for USS Jimmy Carter (SSN 23), a Sea-Wolf class submarine, was former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, Feb. 19, 2005.
3. Size and endurance:
SSN-786 is 377 feet long, has a 34-foot beam, and will be able to dive to depths greater than 800 feet and operate at speeds in excess of 25 knots submerged while displacing approximately 7,800 tons submerged. It will operate for more than 30 years without ever refueling.
4. Capability:
Illinois is the third Block III submarine of the Virginia-class.
The Virginia class has been improved to enhance littoral operations. The class has special features to support Special Operation Forces, including a reconfigurable torpedo room that can accommodate a large number of Special Operation Forces and all of their equipment for prolonged deployments and future off-board payloads. The class also has a large lock-in/lock-out chamber for divers. Traditional periscopes have been replaced by two photonics masts that host visible and infrared digital cameras atop telescoping arms. The Block III submarines have replaced the 12 individual Vertical Launch System (VLS) tubes with two 87-inch Virginia Payload Tubes (VPTs), each capable of launching six Tomahawk cruise missiles. The VPTs simplify construction, reduce acquisition costs and provide for more payload flexibility than the smaller VLS tubes due to their added volume.
5. Missions:
SSN-786 is a flexible, multi-mission platform designed to carry out the seven core competencies of the submarine force: anti-submarine warfare; anti-surface warfare; delivery of special operations forces; strike warfare; irregular warfare; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; and mine warfare.
Learn more about the U.S. Navy’s Silent Service in this video and the below infographic.
Welcome SSN-786 and its Sailors to the fleet by leaving a comment below.
http://navylive.dodlive.mil/2016/10/28/five-things-to-know-about-uss-illinois-ssn-786/ U.S. Navy
Five Things to Know about USS Illinois (SSN 786)
The Virginia-class attack submarine USS Illinois (SSN 786) will be commissioned during a 11 a.m. ET ceremony at Submarine Base New London in Groton, Connecticut, Oct. 29, 2016, which you can watch here on Navy Live or on the Navy’s Facebook page.
Here are five things that you should know about the U.S. Navy’s newest fast attack submarine:
1. Namesake: USS Illinois is named after the 21st state added to the Union.
The submarine is the first Navy vessel named for the state since the battleship Illinois (BB 7) was commissioned in 1901. The first USS Illinois was a battleship and was part of President Theodore Roosevelt’s Great White Fleet that circumnavigated the world in 1907, introducing America as a global power.
2. Sponsor:
First Lady of the United States and Illinois native, Michelle Obama is the ship’s sponsor and will be in attendance for the commissioning.
The last submarine sponsored by a first lady was USS Texas (SSN 775), which was sponsored by Laura Bush and commissioned Sept. 9, 2006.
The ship sponsor for USS Jimmy Carter (SSN 23), a Sea-Wolf class submarine, was former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, Feb. 19, 2005.
3. Size and endurance:
SSN-786 is 377 feet long, has a 34-foot beam, and will be able to dive to depths greater than 800 feet and operate at speeds in excess of 25 knots submerged while displacing approximately 7,800 tons submerged. It will operate for more than 30 years without ever refueling.
4. Capability:
Illinois is the third Block III submarine of the Virginia-class.
The Virginia class has been improved to enhance littoral operations. The class has special features to support Special Operation Forces, including a reconfigurable torpedo room that can accommodate a large number of Special Operation Forces and all of their equipment for prolonged deployments and future off-board payloads. The class also has a large lock-in/lock-out chamber for divers. Traditional periscopes have been replaced by two photonics masts that host visible and infrared digital cameras atop telescoping arms. The Block III submarines have replaced the 12 individual Vertical Launch System (VLS) tubes with two 87-inch Virginia Payload Tubes (VPTs), each capable of launching six Tomahawk cruise missiles. The VPTs simplify construction, reduce acquisition costs and provide for more payload flexibility than the smaller VLS tubes due to their added volume.
5. Missions:
SSN-786 is a flexible, multi-mission platform designed to carry out the seven core competencies of the submarine force: anti-submarine warfare; anti-surface warfare; delivery of special operations forces; strike warfare; irregular warfare; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; and mine warfare.
Learn more about the U.S. Navy’s Silent Service in this video and the below infographic.
Welcome SSN-786 and its Sailors to the fleet by leaving a comment below.
http://navylive.dodlive.mil/2016/10/28/five-things-to-know-about-uss-illinois-ssn-786/ U.S. Navy