US Navy’s 24th Virginia-Class Submarine ‘Iowa’ Enters Service
The US Navy has commissioned its 24th Virginia-class fast attack submarine at Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, Connecticut.
Employment of the USS Iowa (SSN 797) followed its delivery in January as part of a nearly $18-billion contract in 2014 for nine additional Virginia submarines.
The new vessel’s assembly began in 2019, with its christening held four years later.
The Iowa is the third naval system and the first submarine to bear the name of the New England state.
It is the sixth in the Virginia class to receive the Block IV configuration, which integrates expanded vertical missile launch systems and additional torpedo tubes for modern warheads.
Similar to its sister vessels, the platform will replace the US Navy’s Los Angeles-class nuclear-powered submarines adopted in the 1970s.
“In this coming year, this crew of proud American sailors will put this warship to sea and carry the name ‘Iowa’ to the far-flung corners of the globe projecting combat power for decades to come,” US Fleet Forces Commander Admr. Daryl Caudle remarked at the event.
“It is the fearless warriors before me that turn this piece of metal weighing almost 8,000 tons (7,257,478 kilograms) – with hundreds of miles of fiber, cable, and piping systems – into a combat ship, a warship designed to decisively win our nation’s battles. Your preparation and execution to get this ship to commissioning day is nothing short of amazing.”
The Virginia System
The US Navy’s Virginia submarine measures 377 feet (115 meters) long and has accommodations for up to 120 personnel.
It is armed with land-attack missiles, surface-to-surface missiles, heavyweight torpedoes, mines, electronic warfare modules, satellite communications, as well as a surface search and navigation radar.
The vessel is powered by a 280,000-horsepower nuclear reactor for a top speed of 25 knots (29 miles/46 kilometers per hour) and a depth of up to 800 feet (240 meters).
The Virginia submarine can deploy underwater for up to three months.
