US Navy christens attack submarine Hyman G. Rickover

The US Navy christened the future attack submarine USS Hyman G. Rickover in a ceremony at General Dynamics Electric Boat’s (GDEB) Connecticut facilities on Saturday, July 31.

The Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarine is the second US Navy vessel to honour the late Admiral Hyman G. Rickover, whose efforts helped lead to the widespread adoption of nuclear propulsion on the navy’s surface ships and submarines beginning in the late 1950s.

As with its Virginia-class sisters, the future Hyman G. Rickover will be capable of operating 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 submarine’s inherent stealth, endurance, mobility, and firepower directly enable them to support missions involving sea control, power projection, forward presence, maritime security, and deterrence.