Attack submarine New Jersey delivered to US Navy

Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) division has delivered the Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS New Jersey to the US Navy.

The submarine is the eleventh Virginia-class boat delivered by NNS, and the 23rd built as part of the teaming agreement with General Dynamics Electric Boat. It is also the third US Navy vessel named in recognition of the state of New Jersey.

Like its Virginia-class sisters, the future New Jersey will be capable of supporting multiple mission areas and can operate at speeds of more than 25 knots for months at a time.

Once in service, the submarine will operate in littoral and deep waters while conducting anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface ship warfare, strike warfare, special operations forces support, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), irregular warfare, and mine warfare missions.

The Virginia-class submarines were conceived as a less expensive alternative to the Seawolf-class boats, which were designed during the Cold War era, and are replacing older Los Angeles-class submarines.