HII christens US Navy’s Virginia-class submarine Massachusetts

HII Corporate, formerly Huntington Ingalls Industries, has christened Virginia-class submarine Massachusetts (SSN 798) at the company’s Newport News Shipbuilding division.

The ceremony took place outside of Module Outfitting Facility at NNS on 6 May. Massachusetts is the 25th Virginia-class submarine and the 12th to be delivered by NNS.  

Virginia-class submarines are built to operate in the world’s littoral and deep waters while conducting anti-submarine warfare; anti-surface ship warfare; strike warfare; special operations forces support; intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; irregular warfare; and mine warfare missions. 

“When Massachusetts joins the fleet, she will be the latest in innovation and power, forging ahead in defense of our freedom, just like Paul Revere on his famous midnight ride. As SSN 798 supports the Navy’s critical missions around the world, she will carry with her the patriotism of her shipbuilders,” NNS President Jennifer Boykin said. 

“The crew and I are excited to share in this historic event with our sponsor, the shipbuilder, and all our families,” said Cmdr. Mike Siedsma, commanding officer of the pre-commissioning unit.

“We look forward to operating Massachusetts in support of our nation’s defense.”

The Virginia-class, also known as the VA-class or 774-class, is a class of nuclear-powered fast attack submarines in service with the U.S. Navy. The submarines are designed for a broad spectrum of open-ocean and littoral missions.

They were conceived as a less expensive alternative to the Seawolf-class attack submarines, designed during the Cold War era, and are replacing older Los Angeles-class submarines.