NORFOLK, Va. (WVEC) -- Saturday will be a big day for the Navy and the crew of its newest submarine.
The Virginia-class nuclear powered attack submarine John Warner (SSN 785) will be commissioned at Naval Station Norfolk.
The 12th Virginia-class attack submarine in the fleet is named after John Warner, the five-term Republican senator from Virginia who also served as the 61st Secretary of the Navy from 1972 to 1974.
He and his wife Jeanne, who is the ship's sponsor, were at the base Friday ahead of the event.
Construction began in 2010 at Newport News Shipbuilding. The sub was christened on September 6, 2014 and launched four days later. The yard delivered the sub on June 25, two-and-a-half months ahead of schedule.
This is the first Virginia-class submarine to be named for a person rather than a state and Norfolk will be its home port.
About Virginia-class submarines (from US Navy)
The Virginia-class is 7,800-tons and 377 feet in length, has a beam of 34 feet, and can operate at more than 25 knots submerged. It is designed with a reactor plant that will not require refueling during the planned life of the ship – reducing lifecycle costs while increasing underway time.
USS John Warner will have the capability to attack targets ashore with highly-accurate Tomahawk cruise missiles and conduct covert long-term surveillance of land areas, littoral waters or other sea-based forces. Other missions include anti-submarine and anti-ship warfare; mine delivery and minefield mapping. It is also designed for special forces delivery and support .
