The US Navy has successfully commission its latest fast attack submarine, the USS Indiana, during a ceremony held at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Port Canaveral, Florida.
Diane Donald, wife of retired Admiral Kirkland Donald – a former Director of Naval Nuclear Propulsion – sponsored the USS Indiana, and gave the order to “man our ship and bring her to life!” in a time-honoured US Navy tradition.
“The USS Indiana shows the increased capabilities that our industrial partners bring to the fleet as we deliver the Navy the nation needs,” said US Secretary of the Navy, Richard Spencer. “This submarine sends a signal to friend and foe alike that we will maintain supremacy under the waves, and extend our lethality and readiness in every domain.”
This is the United States’ 16th Virginia Class fast attack submarine and the sixth of the Block III variant. As a next generation fast attack submarine, the Virginia Class is designed to provide the US Navy with the capabilities required to maintain undersea competitiveness well into the 21st century. The USS Indiana began construction in 2012 and is the third US Navy vessel to be designated Indiana.
Virginia Class submarines are intended to operate in littoral and deep waters while conducting anti-submarine warfare; anti-surface ship warfare; strike warfare; special operation forces support; intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; irregular warfare; and mine warfare missions.
According to the US Navy, their stealth, endurance, mobility, and firepower enable them to support five of the six maritime strategy core capabilities – sea control, power projection, forward presence, maritime security, and deterrence.
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