USS Virginia (SSN-774)

USS "Virginia" (SSN-774) is a United States Navy attack submarine, the lead ship of her class and the tenth ship of that Navy to be named for the Commonwealth of Virginia.

The contract to build her was awarded to the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corporation in Groton, Connecticut on 30 September 1998 and her keel was laid down on 2 September 1999. She was launched on 16 August 2003 sponsored by Lynda Johnson Robb, the wife of former Virginia governor and senator Charles Robb, and daughter of President of the United States Lyndon B. Johnson and Lady Bird Johnson. On 10 March and 11 March, the prospective submarine shot 12 dummy torpedoes into the Thames River from each of the boat's four tubes.

"Virginia" was delivered to the Navy on 12 October 2004, the 104th anniversary of the commissioning of "Holland", the Navy's second submarine. She was commissioned on 23 October 2004 under the command of David J. Kern. This class of submarine is unique in that it features a Photonics Mast Program (PMP) that freed ship designers to place the ship's control room in a lower, less geometrically-constrained space than would be required by a standard, optical tube periscope. It is additionally unique in the U.S. Navy for featuring all-digital ship and ballast control systems that are manned by relatively senior watchstanders.

On 23 November, 2005, "Virginia" completed her first deployment in support of the Global War on Terrorism. On 12 January 2006, "Virginia" entered Electric Boat's shipyard for post-shakedown availability, which was expected to last for most of 2006.

Ship's crest

"Emblazoned on a blue background that symbolizes the mighty deep, "Virginia" is prominently positioned. The forward view of "Virginia" denotes her leading the submarine force into a new century and onto a new and exciting course for the United States Navy. The gold lettering and border around the seal combined with the blue background represent the Navy’s colors of blue and gold. The silhouette of the Commonwealth of Virginia represents the state for which the ship is named. Each of the nine stars represents an American warship named "Virginia". The single point of light at the stern of the ship symbolizes both the nuclear propulsion plant that powers the submarine as well as the ship’s data processing system fiber optic backbone. In keeping with the Commonwealth of Virginia’s motto, the words “Sic Semper Tyrannis” (Latin for “Thus Always To Tyrants”) appear at the bottom, which combined with the symbolism of the Commonwealth’s Seal, represents the triumph of Virtue over tyranny.

The image of George Washington also looks forward with "Virginia". George Washington, a Virginia native, has been characterized as the “indispensable man” vital to the formation of the American republic. In all of history, few men who possessed unassailable power have used that power so selflessly and wisely for the welfare of their countrymen and all mankind. "Virginia" also stands ready in all her indisputable power to serve the people of this great nation and her allies."

References

This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register and various press releases. Other information obtained from US Navy's [http://www.navy.mil official Web site] .