USS Massachusetts (SSN-798) is a Virginia-class nuclear powered attack submarine currently being built for the United States Navy. She is the 25th submarine of the class, and is named for the U.S. state of Massachusetts—the eighth such vessel.
History
SSN-798 was part of a $17.6 billion contract awarded by the U.S. Navy to prime contractor General Dynamics Electric Boat to construct 10 Virginia-class submarines.[4] Ray Mabus, then Secretary of the Navy, announced the name Massachusetts on 8 November 2015 in an opinion piece for The Boston Globe.[5] She is the first vessel to be named after the Commonwealth since the battleship USS Massachusetts (BB-59) was decommissioned in 1947.[6]
Her keel was laid 11 December 2020 at Newport News Shipbuilding, in a virtual ceremony due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[2] She was christened by ship sponsor Sheryl Sandberg on 6 May 2023.[3] In November 2023, Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro advised that Boston would be the site of the vessel's commissioning, scheduled for the fall of 2025.[7]
References
- ^ "Naval Vessel Register".
- ^ a b c "Huntington Ingalls Industries Authenticates Keel of Virginia-Class Attack Submarine Massachusetts (SSN 798)" (Press release). Huntington Ingalls Industries. 11 December 2020. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
- ^ a b "HII Christens-Virginia-Class Attack Submarine Massachusetts (SSN 798)" (Press release). HII. 6 May 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
- ^ "U.S. Navy Awards 'Largest Shipbuilding Contract' in Service History". USNI News. 28 April 2014. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
- ^ Mabus, Ray (8 November 2015). "New sub USS Massachusetts critical to growing fleet". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
- ^ Levenson, Eric (6 November 2015). "A nuclear attack sub will become the newest USS Massachusetts". Boston.com. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
- ^ Reynolds, Lance (15 November 2023). "Navy selects Boston as commissioning site for new USS Massachusetts nuclear attack submarine". Boston Herald. Retrieved 17 November 2023.