USS Washington (SSN-787)
History
United States
NameUSS Washington
NamesakeState of Washington
Awarded22 December 2008
BuilderNewport News Shipbuilding
Laid down22 November 2014[3]
Launched13 April 2016
Sponsored byElisabeth Mabus
Christened5 March 2016[4]
Acquired26 May 2017[1]
Commissioned7 October 2017[2]
HomeportNaval Station Norfolk
Motto"Preserving Peace, Prepared for War"
StatusActive, In Commission
Badge
General characteristics
Class and typeVirginia-class submarine
Displacement7800 tons light, 7800 tons full
Length114.9 meters (377 feet)
Beam10.3 meters (34 feet)
Propulsion
  • 1 × S9G PWR nuclear reactor[5] 280,000 shp (210 MW), HEU 93%[6][7]
  • 2 × steam turbines 40,000 shp (30 MW)
  • 1 × single shaft pump-jet propulsor[5]
  • 1 × secondary propulsion motor[5]
Speed25 knots (46 km/h)[8]
RangeEssentially unlimited distance; 33 years
Test depthgreater than 800 feet (240 meters)[9]
Complement134 officers and men[8]

USS Washington (SSN-787) is a Virginia-class nuclear powered attack submarine of the United States Navy. The contract to build her was awarded to Huntington Ingalls Industries in partnership with the Electric Boat division of General Dynamics in Newport News, Virginia, on 22 December 2008. This boat is the fourth of the Block III submarines which will feature a revised bow, including some technology from Ohio-class SSGNs.[10] Construction began on 2 September 2011 at Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia.[11] On 13 April 2012, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, announced SSN-787 would be named after the State of Washington,[12] which was celebrated during a naming ceremony in Seattle on 7 February 2013.[13] The Navy christened Washington on 5 March 2016, during a ceremony at Newport News Shipbuilding in Newport News, Virginia.[14]

Crest

The crest contains images including Mount Rainier, the Seattle skyline, evergreen trees, and silhouettes of the previous two USS Washingtons.

The central image is of the submarine, coming forth from the waters of the Puget Sound. The paint scheme is of local Native American art depicting an orca, the state's official marine mammal.

Along the top of the state border, six hollow stars represent previous naval vessels named for George Washington with two solid-gold stars representing the previous ships named for the state. At the bottom, silver and gold submarine dolphins, represent the enlisted and officer warfare insignia, respectively, sit atop a block of battleship armor plating.

The motto, "Preserving Peace, Prepared for War", is derived from a quote from George Washington, "To be prepared for war is one of the most effective means of preserving peace."

Set behind the state is a ring adorned with the official Washington state tartan colored green (for the evergreen forests), blue (for the lakes, rivers, and ocean), white (for the snow-capped mountains), red (for the apple and cherry crops), yellow (for the wheat and grain crops), and black (for the eruption of Mount St. Helens).[15]

Battlecry

Orca, more commonly known as killer whales, are referred to as "blackfish" by the Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest. This led to the crew unofficially referring to USS Washington as "The Blackfish", and gave rise to the battlecry "Fear the Blackfish".[16]

References

  1. ^ "Huntington Ingalls Industries Delivers Virginia-Class Submarine Washington to Navy" (Press release). Huntington Ingalls Industries. 26 May 2017. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
  2. ^ "USS Washington Brought to Life, Commissioned at Naval Station Norfolk" (Press release). United States Navy. 7 October 2017. NNS171007-05. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
  3. ^ "Newport News Shipbuilding Hosts Keel-Laying Ceremony for Virginia-Class Submarine Washington (SSN 787)" (Press release). Huntington Ingalls Industries. 24 November 2014. Archived from the original on 27 November 2014. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
  4. ^ "Newport News Shipbuilding Christens 14th Virginia-Class Submarine, Washington (SSN 787)" (Press release). Huntington Ingalls Industries. 5 March 2016. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
  5. ^ a b c Ragheb, Magdi (9 September 2011), Tsvetkov, Pavel (ed.), "Nuclear Naval Propulsion", Nuclear Power - Deployment, Operation and Sustainability, ISBN 978-953-307-474-0
  6. ^ "Validation of the Use of Low Enriched Uranium as a Replacement for Highly Enriched Uranium in US Submarine Reactors" (PDF). dspace.mit.edu. June 2015. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  7. ^ "US study of reactor and fuel types to enable naval reactors to shift from HEU fuel". fissilematerials.org. 10 April 2020. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  8. ^ a b "The US Navy – Fact File". Archived from the original on 3 July 2007. Retrieved 5 July 2007.
  9. ^ Pike, John. "SSN-774 Virginia-class NSSN New Attack Submarine".
  10. ^ "Virginia Block III: The Revised Bow". Retrieved 20 May 2008.
  11. ^ "Navy begins effort to build two submarines a year". Retrieved 20 September 2011.
  12. ^ "Navy Names Five New Submarines". Retrieved 8 February 2014.
  13. ^ "SECNAV Attends USS Washington Ship Naming Ceremony". Retrieved 8 February 2014.
  14. ^ "USS Washington (SSN 787) Christening Ceremony". Retrieved 5 March 2016.
  15. ^ "The first warship named "Washington" since World War II". Retrieved 18 April 2016.
  16. ^ ""Fear the Blackfish." USS Washington creates new traditions as it joins attack submarine fleet". 6 October 2017. Retrieved 25 August 2022.


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