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July 31, 2008 |
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Submarine New Hampshire Completes First Voyage
GROTON, Conn. – New Hampshire (SSN 778), the nation’s newest and most
advanced nuclear-powered attack submarine, returned to the Electric Boat
shipyard here today following the successful completion of its first voyage in
open seas, called alpha sea trials.
New Hampshire’s alpha sea trials included submerging for the first time,
performing a range of submarine and propulsion-plant operations and conducting
high-speed runs on the surface and underwater to demonstrate that the ship’s
propulsion plant is fully mission-capable. New Hampshire will be delivered to
the U.S. Navy by the end of summer.
"I'm privileged to have participated in the successful propulsion plant sea
trial for a Virginia-class submarine,” said Director of Naval Nuclear Propulsion
Adm. Kirkland Donald, who directed the sea trials. “New Hampshire, the fifth of
the Virginia Class, performed satisfactorily in all operations and this success
is a direct result of the hard work of both the crew and the shipbuilders. The
Navy and the nation need submarines like New Hampshire and I am confident that
she will support the missions for which she was designed."
“Watching the crew and shipbuilders working as one to put this submarine through
its paces was inspirational,” said Electric Boat President John P. Casey. “It
was a superb effort by everyone involved, and reflects the extraordinary
commitment of the Navy/industry team to sustain the success of the
Virginia-class Submarine Program.
“It’s significant to note that this team reduced the time span between
christening and sea trials from 11 months on the first ship of the class to less
than six weeks on New Hampshire,” Casey added. “That’s a remarkable achievement,
and I deeply appreciate the contributions made by the Navy personnel,
shipbuilders and suppliers who made it happen.”
Also participating in the sea trials were Vice Adm. Paul Sullivan, commander,
Naval Sea Systems Command; Rear Adm. Bruce Grooms, commander, Submarine Group
Two; Rear Adm. William Hilarides, program executive officer – Submarines; Capt.
Christopher Pietras, supervisor of shipbuilding in Groton; Michael W. Toner,
executive vice president – Marine Systems, General Dynamics; John Holmander,
Electric Boat vice president and Virginia-class program manager; and Becky
Stewart, Northrop Grumman Newport News vice president – submarine program. New
Hampshire is commanded by Cmdr. Michael Stevens.
New Hampshire is achieving a number of noteworthy firsts in the U.S. Navy
submarine program. Among them:
Electric Boat has received contracts to build the first 10 submarines of a
planned 30-ship Virginia Class under a teaming agreement that splits the
construction workload between Electric Boat and Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding.
Electric Boat is a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD).
General Dynamics, headquartered in Falls Church, Va., employs approximately
84,600 people worldwide and anticipates 2008 revenues of approximately $29.5
billion. The company is a market leader in business aviation; land and
expeditionary combat systems, armaments and munitions; shipbuilding and marine
systems; and information systems and technologies. More information about the
company is available on the Internet at www.generaldynamics.com.
Virginia-Class characteristics
| Displacement: | 7,835 tons |
| Length: | 377 feet |
| Beam: | 34 feet |
| Payload: | 40 weapons; special operations forces; unmanned undersea vehicles |
| Weapons: | Tomahawk land-attack missiles; Mark 48 advanced capability torpedoes |
| Crew: | 134 officers and enlisted men |
Ships of the class
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