The US Navy commissioned its newest Virginia-class nuclear-powered, fast attack submarine in a ceremony at Naval Weapons Station Earle in Middletown, New Jersey, on Saturday, September 14.
USS New Jersey is the eleventh Virginia-class boat delivered by Newport News Shipbuilding division of Huntington Ingalls Industries, and the 23rd to be built as part of the teaming agreement with General Dynamics Electric Boat. It is also the third US Navy vessel named in recognition of the state of New Jersey.
Like its Virginia-class sisters, New Jersey will be capable of supporting multiple mission areas and can operate at speeds of more than 25 knots for months at a time.
The submarine will operate in littoral and deep waters while conducting anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface ship warfare, strike warfare, special operations forces support, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), irregular warfare, and mine warfare missions.
The Virginia-class submarines were conceived as a less expensive alternative to the Seawolf-class boats, which were designed during the Cold War era, and are replacing older Los Angeles-class submarines.
New Jersey is 377 feet (115 metres) long and is able to dive to depths greater than 800 feet (240 metres). The submarine has a crew of nearly 135 personnel.