Oct. 13 (UPI) — The U.S. Navy’s newest Virginia-class fast-attack submarine, named after the “Father of the Nuclear Navy,” will be commissioned this morning in a ceremony in Groton, Conn.
The future USS Hyman G. Rickover will be placed in active service at the New London Naval Submarine Base at 10 a.m. The event will be live streamed starting at 9:45 a.m. ET.
Also expected to be in attendance: Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro, as well as Adm. James F. Caldwell, director of the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program. Also: Connecticut Rep. Joe Courtney and Kevin Graney, president of General Dynamics Electric Boat.
Additionally, in adherence to a long-standing commissioning ceremony tradition, Darleen Greenert, the wife of the former Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. Jonathan Greenert, will bestow the symbolic order to “man our ship and bring her to life.”
Hyman G. Rickover is the fourth Block IV Virginia-class submarine to enter service and the second submarine named in honor of Rickover, who was the longest serving longest-serving naval officer in history. Photo by Chief Petty Officer Joshua Karsten/U.S. Navy
With their advanced stealth technology, attack submarines are well-equipped for various tasks, including tracking down and destroying enemy vessels, conducting surveillance operations, and even participating in mine warfare.
The Virginia-class fast-attack submarines are the most recent addition to the Navy’s undersea warfare arsenal that aid warfighting efforts using the latest technology. Standout features of these cutting-edge vessels include a flexible torpedo room that can facilitate more special-ops personnel and an upgraded interior layout.
Ret. Adm. Hyman Rickover (L) is seen with famed French oceanographer Jacques Cousteau at a Washington, D.C., luncheon in 1985. Rickover spent more than six decades in the Navy and is regarded as the father of today’s nuclear fleet. File Photo by Leighton Mark/UPI
Hyman G. Rickover is the fourth Block IV Virginia-class submarine to enter service and the second submarine named in honor of Rickover, who was the longest serving longest-serving naval officer in history. The inaugural Hyman G. Rickover (SSN 709) was commissioned at the New London Naval Submarine Base on July 21, 1984.
Over the span of his 63-year military career, Rickover played a crucial role in laying the foundation for an innovative agreement with the Atomic Energy Commission. This landmark agreement paved the way for the Navy to leverage the technology currently employed in attack submarine propulsion.
He and his team also successfully helped launch the first nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Nautilus (SSN 571), in 1955.
Rickover died at the age of 86 at his home in Arlington, Va., in 1986. Following his death, President Ronald Reagan noted that the country had “lost a great American.”
That sentiment is echoed by today’s Navy.
“Adm. Rickover’s impact to our Navy was more than just as a visionary, consequential leader,” said Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti in a press release. “This commissioning not only honors his legacy, it is a celebration of our Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program and its 75 years of excellence. Much like Adm. Rickover, himself, this boat is unmatched in its pursuit of excellence.”