U.S. Senators Olympia J. Snowe and Susan Collins (R-ME) announced today that Secretary of the Navy has approved the commissioning date and location for PCU New Hampshire (SSN-778). The submarine is scheduled to be commissioned on October 18th at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine.
“This is truly exciting news for Maine and New Hampshire,” said Senators Snowe and Collins in a joint statement. “During the CNOs’ recent visit to the yard, we had the opportunity to share with him again why the yard must be the location for the commissioning. As we celebrate bringing to life the state-of-the-art submarine, we will also be once again be celebrating the workforce, families, and community that sustain these ships through their service to the nation.”
The Virginia Class attack submarine is an advanced stealth multi-mission nuclear-powered submarine for deep ocean anti-submarine warfare and littoral (shallow water) operations. This next-generation submarine is the first U.S. submarine class to be designed for battlespace dominance across a broad spectrum of regional and littoral missions as well as open-ocean, “blue water” missions.