USS North Carolina (SSN-777)

USS "North Carolina" (SSN-777), a "Virginia"-class submarine, is the fifth ship of the United States Navy named for the 12th state.

History

The contract to build her was awarded to Northrop Grumman Newport News (then called Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Company) in Newport News, Virginia on 30 September 1998 and her keel was laid down on 22 May 2004. She was christened on 21 April 2007 sponsored by Linda Bowman, wife of Admiral Frank L. "Skip" Bowman, the former director of Naval Reactors. Captain Mark E. Davis, a native of upstate New York, is the ship’s first commanding officer and leads a crew of approximately 134 officers and enlisted personnel.

The boat has physical connections to previous "North Carolina"s. Sections of the teak decking from the battleship BB-55 are reused within the submarine, and several pieces from a silver serving set made for the armored cruiser ACR-12, then transferred through the state governor to the battleship will be used aboard SSN-777. [ cite news |first=Don |last=Worthington
title=The USS North Carolina: Ceremony set for America's latest attack sub
url=http://www.fayobserver.com/article?id=263973
work=The Fayetteville Observer |date=2007-06-03 |accessdate=2007-06-03 |quote=“We call this physical legacy transfer. You don’t often get the opportunity to transfer history.” ]

"North Carolina" joined the USN on February 21, 2008, after problems with the boat's steam valve and internal piping system had forced two delays in the acceptance of the vessel. [ Tim Fish, 'US Navy finally takes delivery of North Carolina,' "Jane's Defence Weekly", 5 March 2008, p. 31.] Welding issues in the internal piping system scuttled a first-planned December 2007 delivery, and the discovery of an inadequate steam value forced a further delay from January to February 2008.

The ship's official commissioning ceremony was held on May 3, 2008, in Wilmington, North Carolina. [ cite web
url= http://projects.newsobserver.com/blogs/uss_north_carolina_to_visit_namesake
title= USS North Carolina to visit namesake
author= |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors=
date= September 6, 2007 |publisher= "The News & Observer"
accessdate= 2008-05-06 ] The submarine will now join the U.S. Navy's Atlantic Fleet based in New London, Connecticut. [ cite web
url= http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=36836
title= USS North Carolina Joins the Fleet
last= Zeldis | first= Jennifer, Lt.
date= 5/4/2008 | publisher= Fleet Public Affairs Center Atlantic, U.S. Navy
accessdate= 2008-05-06 ]

Gallery

References

*NVR|http://www.nvr.navy.mil/nvrships/details/SSN777.htm

External links

* [http://www.sublant.navy.mil/html/nc777.html USS "North Carolina" (SSN 777)] , "Commander Naval Submarine Forces" (U.S. Navy)
* [http://www.navy.mil/navydata/fact_display.asp?cid=4100&tid=100&ct=4%20target=_blank USS "North Carolina"] , "U.S. Navy fact file"
* [http://www.csg2.navy.mil/North%20Carolina.htm USS "North Carolina" (SSN 777)] , "Commander, Submarine Group Two" (U.S. Navy)