US Navy’s newest Virginia-class submarine, John Warner (SSN 785), successfully completed its initial sea trials on Saturday.
Sea trials are aggressive operational tests that demonstrate the submarine’s capabilities at sea. John Warner, the first Virginia-class submarine to be named for a person, is being built as part of a teaming arrangement between Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Newport News Shipbuilding division and General Dynamics Electric Boat.
All systems, components and compartments were tested during the trials. The submarine submerged for the first time and operated at high speeds on the surface and underwater. John Warner will undergo several more rounds of sea trials before delivery to the Navy by Newport News.
Construction of John Warner began in 2010. The boat is 99 percent complete and on schedule to deliver next month—more than three months ahead of its contracted delivery date.
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Image: HII