USS Nebraska (SSBN-739)
_at_Naval_Base_Kitsap.jpg) USS Nebraska (SSBN-739) at Naval Base Kitsap, Bangor, Washington |
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| Career (US) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | USS Nebraska |
| Namesake: | The U.S. state of Nebraska |
| Ordered: | 26 May 1987 |
| Builder: | General Dynamics Electric Boat, Groton, Connecticut |
| Laid down: | 6 July 1987 |
| Launched: | 15 August 1992 |
| Sponsored by: | Patricia Exon |
| Commissioned: | 10 July 1993 |
| Homeport: | Bangor, Washington |
| Motto: | Defensor Pacis ("The Defender of Peace") |
| Nickname: | "Big Red" |
| Status: | in active service, as of 2012[update] |
| Badge: |  |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Ohio class ballistic missile submarine |
| Displacement: | 16,764 metric tons (16,499 long tons) surfaced[1][2] 18,750 metric tons (18,450 long tons) submerged[1] |
| Length: | 560 feet (170 m) |
| Beam: | 42 ft (13 m)[1] |
| Draft: | 38 feet (12 m) |
| Propulsion: | 1xS8G PWR nuclear reactor[1] 2x geared turbines[1] 1x325 hp (242 kW) auxiliary motor 1 shaft @ 60,000 shp (45 MW)[1] |
| Speed: | Greater than 25 knots (29 mph; 46 km/h)[3] |
| Test depth: | Greater than 800 feet (240 m)[3] |
| Complement: | 15 officers[1][2] 140 enlisted[1][2] |
| Armament: |
MK-48 torpedoes |
USS Nebraska (SSBN-739) is the 14th Ohio class ballistic missile submarine, and the second United States Navy ship to be named in honor of Nebraska, the 37th state. She carries Trident ballistic missiles.
Nebraska shares her nickname, "Big Red", with the University of Nebraska.
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[edit] Construction and commissioning
The contract to build Nebraska was awarded on 26 May 1987 to the Electric Boat Division of the General Dynamics Corporation at Groton, Connecticut. Her keel was laid there on 6 July 1987 and she was launched on 15 August 1992, sponsored by Patricia Exon, the wife of United States Senator J. James Exon (1921–2005) of Nebraska. Nebraska was delivered to the U.S. Navy on 18 June 1993 and commissioned on 10 July 1993.
[edit] Service history
Nebraska was originally assigned to Submarine Group 10 at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Georgia. On 1 October 2004, Nebraska was transferred to Submarine Squadron 17 in Submarine Group 9 at Naval Base Kitsap, Bangor, Washington where it currently resides.
The sub has successfully launched Trident missiles for testing three times, once in 1995, in 2004, and another in 2008.[4]
As of September 2011, the sub had completed 56 deterrent patrols during its 18 years of service. Each patrol is usually 77 days in duration followed by 35 days in port for maintenance.[4]
Following Patrol 54 the USS Nebraska was awarded the "Battle E" for Submarine Squadron 17.
[edit] In popular culture
In the military hard science fiction Looking Glass series by John Ringo and Travis S. Taylor, the Nebraska is converted into the first human interstellar spaceship and renamed the Vorpal Blade.[5] The boat is the main setting for the majority of the second, third, and fourth books in the series, Vorpal Blade, Manxome Foe, and Claws That Catch.
[edit] Related reading
- Waller, Douglas C. Big Red: The Three-Month Voyage of a Trident Nuclear Submarine. April 2002
[edit] References
- This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain. The entry can be found here.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Ohio-class SSGN-726, Federation of American Scientists, http://www.fas.org/programs/ssp/man/uswpns/navy/submarines/ssgn726_ohio.html, retrieved 2011 September 27
- ^ a b c Frost, Peter, Newport News contract awarded, Daily Press, http://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-local_subs_0424apr24,0,5810806.story, retrieved 2011 September 27[not in citation given]
- ^ a b Submarine Frequently Asked Questions, Chief of Naval Operations Submarine Warfare Division, http://www.navy.mil/navydata/cno/n87/faq.html, retrieved 2011 September 27
- ^ a b Hendee, David (2010 September 07), Far From Nebraska, A Namesake Keeps Watch, Omaha World-Herald, p. 1
- ^ Arnold, Dale (June 15, 2008). "Claws That Catch (Review of Advance Reader Copy)". Baltimore Science Fiction Society. http://www.bsfs.org/bookreview/ringo-taylor1. Retrieved 2011 September 30.
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: USS Nebraska (SSBN-739) |
- NavSource Online: Submarine Photo Archive Nebraska (SSBN-739), http://www.navsource.org/archives/08/08739.htm, retrieved 2011 September 30
- USS Nebraska official site, http://www.nebraska.navy.mil/, retrieved 2011 September 30
- united-states-navy.com: USS Nebraska, http://united-states-navy.com/ssbn/ssbn739.htm, retrieved 2011 September 30
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