HII's Newport News delivers Virginia-class submarine to U.S. Navy
HII, Huntington Ingalls Industries' Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) division delivered the submarine Minnesota (SSN 783) to the U.S. Navy Thursday, June 6th. The boat, the last of the Block II Virginia-class submarines, delivered nearly 11 months ahead of schedule, the shipbuilding group said in a news release.
Construction of Minnesota began in February 2008, and the keel was authenticated in May 2011. The 10th Virginia-class submarine, named to honor residents of Minnesota and their continued support of the U.S. military, was christened Oct. 27, 2012. Minnesota's commissioning date has been scheduled by the Secretary of the Navy for Sept. 7.
NNS is teamed with General Dynamics Electric Boat to build Virginia-class submarines, which use advanced technologies to increase firepower, maneuverability and stealth. The 377-foot long submarines are capable of submerged speeds of more than 25 knots and can stay submerged for up to three months at a time.
Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) designs, builds and maintains nuclear and non-nuclear ships for the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard and provides after-market services for military ships around the globe. For more than a century, HII has built more ships in more ship classes than any other U.S. naval shipbuilder at its Newport News Shipbuilding and Ingalls Shipbuilding divisions. Employing about 37,000 in Virginia, Mississippi, Louisiana and California, HII also provides a wide variety of products and services to the commercial energy industry and other government customers, including the Department of Energy.
