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USS New Hampshire (SSN-778)

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History
NamesakeNew Hampshire, "The Granite State"
Ordered14 August 2003
BuilderGeneral Dynamic's Electric Boat and Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding
Laid down30 April 2007
Launched21 February 2008 [1]
Christened21 June 2008 [2]
Commissioned18 October 2008 (scheduled) [3]
Motto"Live Free or Die"
General characteristics
Displacement7,800 tons
Length114.9 m (377 ft)
Beam  10.3 m (34 ft)
PropulsionS9G reactor
Speed25+ knots (45+ km/h) (exact speed classified)
Complement134 officers and enlisted
Armament28 weapons (exact armament classified)
Logo of USS New Hampshire

PCU New Hampshire (SSN-778), a Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarine, is the fourth ship of the United States Navy to be named for the state of New Hampshire (though one of her predecessors, BB-70, existed only on paper — authorized, but cancelled before keel laying). The name was awarded to the submarine after a letter-writing campaign by the third-graders from Garrison Elementary School in Dover to their members of Congress, the state governor, and the Secretary of the Navy.[4]

The contract to build her was awarded to the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corporation in Groton, Connecticut on 14 August 2003. Construction began in January, 2004.[5] A keel-laying ceremony for the submarine was held at Electric Boat's Quonset Point facility in North Kingstown, R.I. on 30 April 2007. The ship's sponsor is Cheryl McGuinness of Portsmouth, N.H., the widow of Thomas McGuinness, co-pilot of American Airlines Flight 11, who died in the September 11, 2001 attacks when the jet was flown into the North Tower of the World Trade Center.[6]

The submarine was launched on 21 February 2008 and christened four months later, on 21 June 2008 in Groton, CT, eight months ahead of schedule and $54 million under budget.[7] It is scheduled to begin sea trials this summer and is expected to be delivered to the Navy in October, in a ceremony at the Naval shipyard in Kittery, Maine.[2][8]

References

Public Domain 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.

  1. ^ "NEW HAMPSHIRE (SSN 778)". Naval Vessel Register. U.S. Navy. 26 February 2007. Retrieved 2008-04-24. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ a b ""Navy's newest submarine christened"". CNN. June 21, 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-21.
  3. ^ "Portsmouth Naval Shipyard to host commissioning of USS New Hampshire (SSN 778)". Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. Retrieved 2008-04-11.
  4. ^ Colin Manning (December 22, 2005). ""New attack submarine gets N.H. name, thanks to Dover students' campaign"". Foster's Daily Democrat. Retrieved 2008-02-12. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  5. '^ Photo gallery of New Hampshire' (SSN-778) at NavSource Naval History
  6. ^ "Electric Boat Lays Keel For Submarine New Hampshire". Electric Boat Corporation. April 30, 2007. Retrieved 2008-04-11.
  7. ^ Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "Thousands Mark New Navy Sub", June 22, 2008.
  8. ^ Grogan, Jennifer, "New Hampshire A Step Closer To Joining The Fleet", June 22, 2008, New London (CT) Day.