US Navy christens second USS Hyman G. Rickover submarine

The U.S. Navy has christened its new Virginia-class attack submarine, the future USS Hyman G. Rickover (SSN 795), at General Dynamics’ Electric Boat shipyard facility in Groton, Connecticut.

The submarine, christened on 31 July, represents a tribute to Admiral Rickover, who served in the navy for 63 years and spurred the service to adopt nuclear propulsion after World War II.

Rickover will join the fleet with a displacement of 7,835 tons, a crew of 132, and a weapons payload of 12 vertical launch systems and four torpedo tubes.

“We did not close a shipyard, public or private, for one day during the pandemic. The sustained commitment to excellence displayed by this workforce shows in the construction of this boat and adheres to the culture of excellence promoted by Hyman G. Rickover,” said James F. Geurts, Under Secretary of the Navy.

“It’s not just a matter of having the world’s best ships, you have to have the world’s best sailors to maintain the world’s best Navy, and we have both.”

According to the U.S. Navy, the submarine is designed to excel in anti-submarine and anti-ship warfare, strike warfare, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, as well as irregular and mine warfare.

The first Hyman G. Rickover was commissioned in July 1984 at Submarine Base, New London, in Groton. SSN 709 and its crew deployed 12 times until its decommissioning in December 2007.