USS Alexandria (SSN-757)
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History | |
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Name | USS Alexandria |
Namesake | Alexandria, Virginia, and Alexandria, Louisiana |
Awarded | 26 November 1984 |
Builder | General Dynamics Electric Boat |
Laid down | 19 June 1987 |
Launched | 23 June 1990 |
Sponsored by | Mrs. Myrtle "Tookie" Clark [2] |
Acquired | 13 June 1991 |
Commissioned | 29 June 1991 |
Homeport | San Diego, CA |
Motto | Twice as Strong[1] |
Status | in active service |
Badge | ![]() |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Los Angeles-class submarine |
Displacement |
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Length | 362 ft (110 m) |
Beam | 33 ft (10 m) |
Draft | 31 ft (9 m) |
Propulsion | One S6G reactor[citation needed] |
Speed | |
Range | Refueling required after 30 years[3] |
Endurance | Twice As Strong |
Test depth | >757 ft (231 m)[1] |
Complement | 12 officers, 98 men |
Sensors and processing systems | BQQ-10 passive sonar, BQS-15 detecting and ranging sonar, WLR-8 fire control radar receiver, WLR-9 acoustic receiver for detection of active search sonar and acoustic homingtorpedoes, BRD-7 radio direction finder[4] |
Electronic warfare & decoys | WLR-10 countermeasures set[4] |
Armament | 4 21 in (533 mm) bow tubes, 10 Mk48 ADCAP torpedo reloads, Tomahawk land attack missile block 3 SLCM range 1,700 nmi (3,148 km; 1,956 mi), Harpoon anti–surface ship missile range 70 nmi (130 km; 81 mi), mine laying Mk67 mobile mine & Mk60 captor mines |
Notes | The third ship of the United States Navy to be named for both Alexandria, Virginia, and Alexandria, Louisiana |
USS Alexandria (SSN-757), a Los Angeles-class nuclear-powered attack submarine, is the third ship of the United States Navy to be named for both Alexandria, Virginia, and Alexandria, Louisiana.[1] She was laid down in 1987, launched three years later and commissioned in 1991. Alexandria has since taken part in a number of international exercises and has also been used as a location for the television series Stargate: Continuum, JAG and NCIS.
Construction
The contract to build her was awarded to the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corporation in Groton, Connecticut on 26 November 1984. Her keel was laid down on 19 June 1987.[8]
Pre-commissioning Unit
The history of the Alexandria as a U.S. Navy warship begins with the staffing of what is known as the Pre-commissioning Unit (PCU) Alexandria. CDR Wilbur Cooke was the Commanding Officer of the Unit. Construction delays necessitated the detachment of CDR Cooke on 6 October 1989, and the assignment of Commander Paul E. Normand in his place on 11 December 1989.[2]
Launch
The ship was launched on 23 June 1990, sponsored by Mrs. Myrtle "Tookie" Clark, wife of retired Vice Admiral Glenwood Clark, on 29 June 1991. Commander Normand remained in command.[2]
Sea trials
The Pre-commissioning Unit Alexandria was placed in service on 22 March 1991. A series of sea trials began shortly thereafter:[2]
- 16 April 1991 — Underway Alpha trials
- 16 April 1991 — Underway Bravo trials
- 17 May 1991 — Underway Charlie trials
- 4 June 1991 — Underway Delta trials and Combined Acceptance Trial
Commissioning
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/de/USS_Alexandria_%28SSN_757%29_coming_home.jpg/220px-USS_Alexandria_%28SSN_757%29_coming_home.jpg)
USS Alexandria (SSN-757) was commissioned at submarine base New London on 29 June 1991, CDR Normand commanding, and given the motto "Twice as Strong" in honor of her two namesakes. Guest speakers at the ship commissioning ceremony were:[2]
- COMmander, SUBmarine Force US AtLANTic Fleet (COMSUBLANT)
- The Commander of Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA)
- The U.S. Navy Supervisor of Shipbuilding
- The Mayors of Alexandria, Louisiana and Alexandria, Virginia
- U.S. Representative Ronald K. Machtley, (R) Rhode Island
- The Ship's Sponsor
Recent operations
Alexandria, together with the guided-missile cruiser USS Cowpens (CG-63), the frigate USS Gary (FFG-51), and P-3C Orion maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft, participated in Exercise Malabar 2004, a training exercise with the Indian Navy off the southwest coast of India that ended 11 October 2004.
Some scenes for the movie Stargate: Continuum take place on board Alexandria.[9] The then-captain of Alexandria, Cmdr. Mike Bernacchi, and members of his crew played themselves. The ship was also used as a filming location in the JAG / NCIS universe, although she was referred to there as the fictional USS Cathedral City.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ea/USS_Alexandria_%28SSN_757%29_ice.jpg/220px-USS_Alexandria_%28SSN_757%29_ice.jpg)
In March 2007, Alexandria was participating in the Joint U.S. Navy/Royal Navy Ice Exercise 2007 (ICEX-2007), conducted in the Arctic Ocean with the Trafalgar-class submarine HMS Tireless (S88). The exercise took place on and under a drifting ice floe, about 180 nmi (333 km; 207 mi) off the north coast of Alaska. The two submarines were taking part in joint testing of submarine operability and tactical development in Arctic waters. On 21 March 2007, Tireless experienced an explosion of a self-contained oxygen generation candle. Tireless suffered only superficial damage, but two crew members were killed and one injured.[10]
See also
References
- ^ a b c "USS Alexandria (SSN 757)". Submarines and Squadrons. Commander Submarine Group 2, Naval Submarine Base New London, United States Navy. 21 March 2007. Retrieved 6 December 2008.
- ^ a b c d e Normand, USN, CDR Paul E. (8 April 1992). "Command History, 1988–1991, USS Alexandria (SSN 757)" (PDF). Director of Naval History. United States Navy. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
- ^ Pike, John; Sherman, Robert (14 February 2000). "SSN-688 Los Angeles-class". Military Analysis Network - U.S. Navy Ships. Federation of American Scientists. Retrieved 7 December 2008.
The 18 SSN-688 class submarines that will be refueled at their mid-life could make good candidates for a service life extension because they could operate for nearly 30 years after the refueling. After these submarines serve for 30 years, they could undergo a 2-year overhaul and serve for one more 10-year operating cycle, for a total service life of 42 years.
- ^ a b Polmar, Norman "The U. S. Navy Electronic Warfare (Part 1)" United States Naval Institute Proceedings October 1979 p.137
- ^ Naval Sea Systems Command, Public Affairs Office (30 July 2008). "Attack Submarines - SSN". U.S. Navy Fact Sheet. United States Navy. Retrieved 7 December 2008.
General Characteristics, Los Angeles class ... Speed: 20+ knots (23+ miles per hour, 36.8 +km/h)
- ^ Polmar, Norman; Moore, Kenneth J. (2003). Cold War Submarines:The Design and Construction of U.S. and Soviet Submarines. Dulles, VA: Brassey's Inc. p. 271. ISBN 1-57488-594-4.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: postscript (link) - ^ Mount, Mike (11 January 2005). "Officials: U.S. submarine hit undersea mountain". CNN Washington Bureau. CNN International. Retrieved 7 December 2008.
The submarine was traveling in excess of 33 knots -- about 35 mph --when its nose hit the undersea formation head-on, officials said.
- ^ "USS Alexandria (SSN 757)". Naval Vessel Register. NAVSEA Shipbuilding Support Office (NAVSHIPSO). 23 February 2005. Retrieved 18 April 2010.
- ^ Barber, USNR, Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Barrie (18 April 2007). "Stars Film Movie Aboard USS Alexandria at the Polar Ice Pack". Navy.mil News. U.S. Fleet Forces Command, United States Navy. Retrieved 6 December 2008.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Royal Navy Submarine Incident Kills Two During Ice Exercise". Navy.mil News. United States Navy. 21 March 2007. Retrieved 6 December 2008.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Moss, USN, CDR Lee O. (4 May 1993). "Command History, 1992, USS Alexandria (SSN 757)" (PDF). United States Navy Naval History & Heritage Command (NHHC). Retrieved 17 January 2015.
- Moss (12 May 1994). "Command History, 1993, USS Alexandria (SSN 757)" (PDF). NHHC. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
- Moss (17 April 1995). "Command History, 1994, USS Alexandria (SSN 757)" (PDF). NHHC. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
- Klein, USN, CDR Raymond M. (27 February 1996). "Command History, 1995, USS Alexandria (SSN 757)" (PDF). NHHC. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
- Klein (19 March 1997). "Command History, 1996, USS Alexandria (SSN 757)" (PDF). NHHC. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
- Gerry, USN, CDR Donald D. (27 January 1998). "Command History, 1997, USS Alexandria (SSN 757)" (PDF). NHHC. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
- Gerry (31 January 1999). "Command History, 1998, USS Alexandria (SSN 757)" (PDF). NHHC. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
- Gerry (16 February 2000). "Command History, 1999, USS Alexandria (SSN 757)" (PDF). NHHC. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
- Hendricks, USN, CDR David M. (2 August 2001). "Command History, 2000, USS Alexandria (SSN 757)" (PDF). NHHC. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
- Hendricks (29 April 2002). "Command History, 2001, USS Alexandria (SSN 757)" (PDF). NHHC. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
- Hendricks; CDR Thomas J. Kearney (24 February 2004). "Command History, 2003, USS Alexandria (SSN 757)" (PDF). NHHC. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
- Use dmy dates from October 2012
- Ships built in Groton, Connecticut
- Los Angeles-class submarines
- Cold War submarines of the United States
- Nuclear ships of the United States Navy
- United States Navy Virginia-related ships
- United States Navy Louisiana-related ships
- 1990 ships
- Active submarines of the United States