USS Albany (SSN-753)
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| Career (US) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | USS Albany |
| Namesake: | The City of Albany, New York |
| Awarded: | 29 November 1983 |
| Builder: | Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company |
| Laid down: | 22 April 1985 |
| Launched: | 13 June 1987 |
| Sponsored by: | Mrs. Nancy M. Kissinger |
| Commissioned: | 7 April 1990 |
| Homeport: | Norfolk, Virginia |
| Motto: | Still Making History |
| Status: | in active service, as of 2012[update] |
| Badge: |  |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Los Angeles-class submarine |
| Displacement: | 5,746 long tons (5,838 t) light 6,148 long tons (6,247 t) full 402 long tons (408 t) dead |
| Length: | 110.3 m (361 ft 11 in) |
| Beam: | 10 m (32 ft 10 in) |
| Draft: | 9.4 m (30 ft 10 in) |
| Propulsion: | S6G nuclear reactor |
| Complement: | 15 officers, 98 men |
USS Albany (SSN-753), a Los Angeles-class submarine, was the fifth ship of the United States Navy to be named for Albany, New York. The contract to build her was awarded to Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company in Newport News, Virginia on 29 November 1983 and her keel was laid down on 22 April 1985. She was launched on 13 June 1987 sponsored by Nancy M. Kissinger, wife of Henry Kissinger, and was commissioned on 7 April 1990 with Commander Darl R. Anderson in command.
Albany was the last US submarine built via the traditional "keel up" ship construction method.[citation needed] Thus, it was the last submarine to "launch" down the shipway.
The Albany and her successor, the USS Topeka, form a unique sub-class among Los Angeles class submarines. The pressure hulls of both ships were partially manufactured using stronger HY-100, instead of the HY-80 steel used in the manufacturing of all other Los Angeles class submarines. This was done to test construction methods using this steel, which would later be employed in the assembly of the new Seawolf-class submarines. In theory, this permits the Albany and Topeka to dive to a slightly greater depth than any other member of the Los Angeles class, though it remains unclear if this ability has ever been tested by either vessel.[1]
On 30 July 2004 Albany returned to Norfolk, Virginia, after a six-month deployment that began in the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, then proceeded to the Mediterranean Sea for a NATO exercise, Operation "MEDSHARK/Majestic Eagle."
[edit] References
- ^ "The Illustrated Directory of Submarines of the World" 2002, p. 377.
- Miller, David (2002). The Illustrated Directory of Submarines of the World. Motor Books International. ISBN 0-7603-1345-8.
This article includes information collected from the public domain sources Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships and Naval Vessel Register.
