Scott Nicholas
Huntington Ingalls Industries has launched the U.S. Navy‘s future Indiana submarine into James River and transferred the watercraft from a construction facility to a pier managed by the company’s Newport News Shipbuilding division in preparation for final crew certification, outfitting and testing.
Indiana, dubbed as SSN 789, will represent the 16th Virginia-class submarine of the Navy and the eighth unit Newport News Shipbuilding has built for the service branch, HII said Friday.
The underwater vessel was christened in April months after HII and General Dynamics‘ Electric Boat subsidiary finished construction of the submarine’s pressure hull under a teaming agreement.
Matt Needy, vice president of submarines and fleet support at Newport News Shipbuilding, said the launch of Indiana reflects the shipbuilders’ work over the past four years.
Needy added the business will collaborate with the Indiana crew and Electric Boat to deliver the submarine to the Navy.
Virginia-class attack submarines are designed to perform open-ocean and littoral missions and succeed the service branch’s Los Angeles-class submarines.
