Virginia-class Submarines: The Future Backbone of the US Navy

The Virginia class submarines are arguably the best fast-attack, nuclear-powered submarines that currently incorporate cutting-edge stealth, intelligence gathering, and weapons system technology, especially for its upcoming Block V lines that will feature the sophisticated Virginia Payload Module (VPM). Future attack submarines will now have “four additional large-diameter payload tubes in a new hull section located amidships,” and because of this, “each of these VPM payload tubes will be capable of carrying seven Tomahawk cruise missiles,” increasing the submarine’s armament capacity to 28 shells per VPM. This new feature will also allow for the distribution of strike assets, giving theater commanders more flexibility in staging payloads and allowing them to cover more long ranges of targets.

Currently, the United States Navy maintains three classes of nuclear-powered submarines (classified as SSNs), including its backbone Los Angeles-class (SSN-688), USS Seawolf-class (SSN-21), and the Virginia-class (SSN-774)—all equipped with technological superiority that delivers speed, endurance, mobility, and stealth.

Nonetheless, as times change and technology advances, the USN focuses on upgrading its Virginia-class deterrence and combat capability in deep ocean warfare as well as coastal/littoral operations, all while progressively replacing its aging Los Angeles vessels.

Manufactured by General Dynamics Electric Board Division (GDEBD) and Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) – Newport News Shipbuilding (previously Northrop Grumman Ship Systems), the collaborative project kickstarted in the late 1990s for the USN, beginning with the design and development of the lead vessel, USS Virginia (SSN-774). Its forerunner, the Seawolf class, was intended to succeed the Los Angeles submarines. However, it was later found how costly one unit of the former SSN submarine was. As a result, due to budget constraints, it was later canceled and opted for the much-cheaper yet significantly enhanced Virginia class, which includes special features to aid special operations forces, such as a reconfigurable torpedo room that can accommodate many special operations forces and all of their equipment for extended deployments and future off-board payloads.

The ship was laid down in September 1999, and after years of construction, the USS Virginia was finally launched to sea in August 2003, and it was commissioned in October 2004 with its homeport in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. It is the tenth vessel to bear the Commonwealth of Virginia’s name and the first USN attack submarine named after a state, a pattern that will continue throughout her class.

The most recent SSNs have a length of approximately 377 feet (114.8 meters) and 461 ft (140.5 m) with VPM (Block V and up) in length, a beam height of 34 ft (10.36 m), and a displacement of approximately 7,800 tons (7,925 metric tons) submerged and 10,200 t (10,363.7 mt) with VPM. It has one nuclear reactor and one shaft that can speed more than 25 knots (28+ miles per hour). For this extensive vessel to operate, it needs at least 132 crew, including 15 officers and 117 enlisted, and in terms of armaments, the SSN is armed with Tomahawk missiles, twelve Vertical Launch System (VLS) tubes for SSNs 774-783 or two Virginia Payload Tubes (VPTs) for SSNs 784 and beyond, and four additional payload tubes for SSNs 803 and beyond. In addition, the class also carries Mk 48 ADCAP torpedoes and four torpedo tubes.

The USS Texas (SSN-775) was the second Virginia class to be built and commissioned, and subsequent vessels shortly followed. The entire class was expected to be acquired through 2043 and remain in active service until the 2070s.

So far, the Virginia class has reached Block V, yet still under construction, with Arizona (SSN-803) being the latest to have had the keel laying ceremony earlier this month. In-service vessels include USS Virginia (SSN-774), USS Texas (SSN-775), USS Hawaii (SSN-776), and USS North Carolina (SSN-777) under Block I; USS New Hemisphere (SSN-778), USS New Mexico (SSN-779), USS Missouri (SSN-780), USS California (SSN-781), USS Mississippi (SSN-782), and USS Minnesota (SSN-783) under Block II; USS North Dakota (SSN-784), USS John Warner (SSN-785), USS Illinois (SSN-786), USS Washington (SSN-787), USS Colorado (SSN-788), USS Indiana (SSN-789), USS South Dakota (SSN-790), and USS Delaware (SSN-791) under Block III; and USS Vermont (SSN-792), USS Oregon (SSN-793), USS Montana (SSN-794), USS Hyman G. Rickover (SSN-795), and USS New Jersey (SSN-796) under Block IV, having Iowa (SSN-797), Massachusetts (SSN-798), Idaho (SSN-799), Arkansas (SSN-800), and Utah (SSN-801) still under construction. Block V boats Oklahoma (SSN-802), Barb (SSN-804), and Tang (SSN-805) were also under construction, with Wahoo (SSN-806) and Silversides (SSN-807) announced as future builds.

USS Virginia (SSN-774) | Block I

Sic Semper Tyrannis (Latin for “Thus Always To Tyrants”)

Lynda Johnson Robb, the wife of former Virginia governor and senator Charles Robb and daughter of former US President Lyndon B. Johnson and Lady Bird Johnson, sponsored the completion of Virginia (SSN-774). This new-generation fast-attack submarine was the first USN vessel designed entirely on a computer.

Homeport: Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Status: In Active Service

USS Texas (SSN-775) | Block I

“Don’t Mess with Texas!”

Built by HII, the keel of Texas (SSN-775) was laid down on July 2002 and was christened by its principal sponsor then-US First Lady Laura Bush, on July 2004. She was launched nearly a year later, on April 2005, and delivered to the USN in June 2006. Three months later, the second Virginia-class attack submarine was commissioned into service.

Homeport: Pearl Harbor, Hawaii

Status: In Active Service

USS Hawaii (SSN-776) | Block I

Kūpale ‘Āina (Hawaiian for “Defending the Land”)

GDEBD was awarded the building contract for Hawaii (SSN-776) in September 1998, but it wasn’t until August 2004 that the keel was laid. Her sponsor, then-Governor of Hawaii Linda Lingle, christened the third Virginia-class attack submarine on June 2006 and was commissioned by the USN on May 2007.

Homeport: Pearl Harbor, Hawaii

Status: In Active Service

USS North Carolina (SSN-777) | Block I

Primus in Proelio (Latin for “First in Fight”)

Sponsored by Linda Bowman, the wife of former Naval Reactors Director Admiral Frank “Skip” Bowman, North Carolina (SSN-777) was laid down on May 2004, launched on May 2007, and commissioned in May 2008. HII built the fourth and final Virginia-class Block I submarine, which was also the fourth USN vessel to bear the name.

Homeport: Pearl Harbor, Hawaii

Status: In Active Service

USS New Hampshire (SSN-778) | Block II

“Live Free or Die”

The Navy awarded the building contract for New Hampshire (SSN-778) to GDEBD in 2003, and her keel was laid down on April 2007. It is the first of the Virginia-class Block II submarines to be constructed and enter service, commissioned in October 2008. Ship’s sponsor Cheryl McGuinness, the widow of Thomas McGuinness, attended the keel laying ceremony as well as the christening of the vessel. Thomas was a co-pilot of American Airlines Flight 11 who died in the 9/11 attack when his aircraft was taken over by terrorists and was flown into the North Tower of the World Trade Center.

Homeport: Norfolk, Virginia

Status: In Active Service

USS New Mexico (SSN-779) | Block II

Defendemos Nuestra Tierra (Spanish for “We defend our land”)

The second ship of the Navy to carry the namesake and the second Virginia-class Block II submarine to enter service. Built by HII, New Mexico (SSN-779) was launched on January 2009, a year after her keel was laid and was christened by her sponsor Cindy Giambastiani, the wife of Admiral Edmund Giambastiani, who was the former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The attack submarine was commissioned on March 2010 and cruised to becoming the first sub under the Virginia class to surface at the North Pole four years later.

Homeport: Norfolk, Virginia

Status: In Active Service

USS Missouri (SSN-780) | Block II

“United we stand, divided we fall”

Missouri (SSN-780), built by GDEBD, is the third Virginia-class Block II submarine and the fourth Navy ship to bear the name of the US state Missouri. Her keel was laid in September 2008, christened in November 2009 by the ship’s sponsor Becky Gates, wife of then-Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, and she was commissioned into service in July 2010.

Homeport: Pearl Harbor, Hawaii

Status: In Active Service

USS California (SSN-781) | Block II

Silentium Est Aureum (Latin for “Silence Is Golden”)

Sponsored by Donna Willard, the wife of Admiral Robert F. Willard, who served as the 22nd Commander of the US Pacific Command, California (SSN-781), had her keel laid down on May 2009, launched on November 2010, and entered service on October 2011 as the fourth Virginia-class Block II submarine.

Homeport: Groton, Connecticut

Status: In Active Service

USS Mississippi (SSN-782) | Block II

Virtute Et Armis (Latin for “By Valor and Arms”)

Nearly ten years after receiving the building contract from the US Navy, GDEBD laid down the keel of Mississippi (SSN-782) on June 2010, sponsored by then-Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy Allison Stiller. The nuclear-powered submarine was delivered and entered service in May 2012.

Homeport: Pearl Harbor, Hawaii

Status: In Active Service

USS Minnesota (SSN-783) | Block II

Ex Septentrio, Virtus (Latin for “From the North, power”)

HII delivered the sixth Virginia-class Block II nuclear-powered submarine Minnesota (SSN-783) to the Navy in September 2013 following its successful launching on November 2012. She was sponsored by Ellen Roughead, wife of US Navy Admiral Gary Roughead, who served as the 29th Chief of Naval Operations.

Homeport: Groton, Connecticut

Status: In Active Service

USS North Dakota (SSN-784) | Block III

“Strength from the Soil, Reapers of the Deep”

Built by General Dynamics, North Dakota (SSN-784) is the first Virginia-class Block III submarine to enter service and is the second USN vessel to bear the state’s name. Her keel was laid down on May 2012, launched on September 2013, and was supposed to be commissioned on May 2014. However, due to some quality issues discovered during the submarine’s evaluation, the USN delayed its commissioning until October 2014. Katie Fowler, the wife of retired Vice Admiral Jeff Fowler, serves as the ship’s sponsor.

Homeport: Groton, Connecticut

Status: In Active Service

USS John Warner (SSN-785) | Block III

Legati ad Defendam Libertatem (Latin for “On a Mission to Protect Freedom”)

USS John Warner (SSN-785) construction began in April 2009, with the keel laying ceremony in March 2013, and was launched in September 2014. She was the second of eight Virginia class Block III ships and the sixth to be delivered to the US Navy. She was commissioned on August 2015.

The 12th Virginia-class attack submarine is named after John Warner, the five-term US Senator from Virginia who served in both the Navy and Marine Corps during World War 2 and Korean War, respectively. He served as Secretary of the Navy from 1972 to 1974, and the ship is sponsored by his wife, Jeanne Warner. This is the first ship to break the state-naming pattern in the Virginia class and the first one in the last century to bear the name of a living person.

Homeport: Norfolk, Virginia

Status: In Active Service

USS Illinois (SSN-786) | Block III

Nemo Magis Fortiter (Latin for “None more brave”)

Illinois (SSN-786) was launched in August 2015, delivered in October 2015, and commissioned in October 2016. She’s the third Block III variant, with a revised bow and technology from the converted subclass Ohio-guided missile submarines. The ship was built by General Dynamics and sponsored by then-First Lady Michelle Obama.

Homeport: Pearl Harbor, Hawaii

Status: In Active Service

USS Washington (SSN-787) | Block III

“Preserving Peace, Prepared for War”

The construction of Washington (SSN-787) began in September 2011. The keel was laid three years later, on November 2014, with its launch in April 2016 and commissioning in October 2017. She is the fourth Block III nuclear-powered submarine to the Navy, outfitted with technology from Ohio-class SSGNs. Elisabeth Mabus, daughter of Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, is the ship’s sponsor and was present during the christening ceremony of the 14th Virginia-class submarine on March 2016.

Homeport: Norfolk, Virginia

Status: In Active Service

USS Colorado (SSN-788) | Block III

Terra Marique Indomita (Latin for “By land and sea, untamed”)

The USS Colorado (SSN 788) is the 15th submarine in her class and the fifth in the redesigned Block III. She was commissioned in March 2018 as the first vessel named after the state since the USS Colorado (BB-45) battleship decommissioned in 1947. Her keel was laid down on March 2015 and was christened and launched on December 2016 with her sponsor Annie Mabus, daughter of former Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, in attendance.

Homeport: Groton, Connecticut

Status: In Active Service

USS Indiana (SSN-789) | Block III

“Silent Victors”

Huntington Ingalls Industries laid the keel of the 16th nuclear-powered Virginia-Class attack submarine Indiana (SSN-789) on May 2015 and launched the vessel on June 2017 upon completion. Shortly before that, the ship was christened on April 2017, led by her sponsor Diane Donald, the wife of retired USN official Admiral Kirkland H. Donald. She was commissioned on September 2018 at Port Canaveral, Florida.

Homeport: Groton, Connecticut

Status: In Active Service

USS South Dakota (SSN-790) | Block III

Subter Mare Dominamur (Latin for “Under the sea we rule”)

With her keel laid down on April 2016, the South Dakota (SSN-790) becomes the 17th nuclear-powered Virginia-Class attack submarine and the seventh of the Block III to feature the revised bow. She is also the third USN vessel to bear the state’s name behind a 1908 armored cruiser (ACR-9) and 1942 battleship (BB-57). Deanie Dempsey, the wife of General Martin Dempsey, the 18th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was the submarine’s sponsor and was present during the commissioning ceremony of the ship on February 2019.

Homeport: Groton, Connecticut

Status: In Active Service

USS Delaware (SSN-791) | Block III

“First Defenders Of Liberty”

Delaware (SSN-791) is the eighth and final Virginia-class ship under the redesigned Block III. Built by HII, the fast-attack submarine was laid on the keel in April 2016, launched in December 2018, and finally commissioned to service in April 2022 after months of postponement due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, she became the first US Navy submarine to be commissioned while submerged, with the ceremony taking place at Port Wilmington, Delaware. Jill Biden, the ship’s sponsor, brought her to life nearly four years after the now-First Lady officially christened the vessel in 2018.

Homeport: Groton, Connecticut

Status: In Active Service

USS Vermont (SSN-792) | Block IV

Vermont (SSN-792) was built by GDEBD and is the 19th submarine in her class, the first of the Block IV type, and the third Navy vessel to bear the state’s name. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the ship did not have a traditional commissioning ceremony, instead opting for administrative commissioning on April 2020. Her keel was laid in February 2017, and she set sail in March 2019. She is the first of the Block IV vessels, which incorporate design changes to lower total ownership costs and extend the vessel’s component-level lifecycle. Gloria Valdez, a former deputy assistant secretary of the Navy in charge of shipbuilding and modernization, is the ship sponsor.

Homeport: Groton, Connecticut

Status: In Active Service

USS Oregon (SSN-793) | Block IV

Alis Volat Propriis (Latin for “She Flies With Her Own Wings”)

The construction of SSN-793 began in April 2014 at GDEBD and was named Oregon in October of that year. She is the fourth vessel to bear the state’s name, the first in more than a century, and the 20th attack submarine of her class. Her keel was laid down on July 2017, launched in June 2020, and commissioned on May 2022. Dana L. Richardson, the wife of former Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson, is the ship sponsor.

Homeport: Pearl Harbor, Hawaii

Status: In Active Service

USS Montana (SSN-794) | Block IV

The keel for the 21st Virginia-class attack submarine Montana (SSN-794) at Huntington Ingalls Newport News Shipbuilding was laid in May 2018. After delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she was finally completed and launched in February 2021 and commissioned in June 2022. Former Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell served as the ship’s sponsor and had the honor of christening the submarine on September 2020.

Homeport: Groton, Connecticut

Status: In Active Service

Status of the Remaining Virginia-class

The remainder of the Block IV type Virginia-class submarines remains under construction, with USS Hyman G. Rickover (SSN-795) and USS New Jersey (SSN-796) advancing to trials and evaluations following their launching on August 2021 and April 2022, respectively. Keels of Iowa (SSN-797), Massachusetts (SSN-798), Idaho (SSN-799), Arkansas (SSN-800, and Utah (SSN-801) were all laid down between 2019 and 2021. Meanwhile, USS Arizona is the latest and the first of the Block V line to have had a keel-laying ceremony that took place on December 7, 2022.

In December 2019, GDEBD and HII each received the building contracts for the construction of Tang (SSN-805), Wahoo (SSN-806), and Silversides (SSN-807), as the latter will soon be laying the keel of Oklahoma (SSN-802) some time next year. Finally, the USN has not yet named SSNs 808 to 811 of Block V.