| USS Pennsylvania (SSBN-735) | |
|---|---|
 USS Pennsylvania (SSBN-735) in November 1995. | |
| Career (US) |  |
| Namesake: | Commonwealth of Pennsylvania |
| Ordered: | 29 November 1982 |
| Builder: | General Dynamics Electric Boat, Groton, Connecticut |
| Launched: | 23 April 1988 |
| Commissioned: | 9 September 1989 |
| Homeport: | Bangor WA |
| Motto: | Virtue, Independence, Liberty |
| Honors and awards: | Marjorie Sterrett Battleship Fund Award 2001 |
| Status: | in active service, as of 2024[update] |
| Badge: |
 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type: | Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine |
| Displacement: | |
| Length: | 560 ft (170 m) |
| Beam: | 42 ft (13 m)[1] |
| Draft: | 38 ft (12 m) |
| Propulsion: | |
| Speed: | Greater than 25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph)[3] |
| Test depth: | Greater than 800 feet (240 m)[3] |
| Complement: | |
| Armament: |
|
USS Pennsylvania (SSBN-735) is a United States Navy Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine which has been in commission since 1989. She is the fourth ship of the United States Navy to be named for Pennsylvania, the second state. It is the largest military submarine in the United States.
Construction and commissioning[]
The contract to build Pennsylvania was awarded to the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corporation in Groton, Connecticut, on 29 November 1982 and her keel was laid down there on 10 January 1984. She was launched on 23 April 1988, sponsored by Mrs. Marilyn Garrett, and commissioned on 9 September 1989, with Captain Richard M. Camp commanding the Gold Crew and Captain Lee Edwards commanding the Blue Crew.
Service history[]
On 29 September 1989, Pennsylvania ran aground as she entered the channel during her first visit to Port Canaveral, Florida. Tugboats freed her in about two hours. A U.S. Navy investigation determined that Pennsylvania was properly positioned in the channel, but the channel had been silted by the recent passing of Hurricane Hugo. In 2001, Pennsylvania won the Marjorie Sterrett Battleship Fund Award for the United States Atlantic Fleet. In 2012, Pennsylvania completed a mid-life 2-1/2 year Engineered Refueling Overhaul (ERO) at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard where her reactor was refueled for an estimated 25 more years of service.
USS Pennsylvania in fiction[]
- In Tom Clancy's 1994 novel Debt of Honor, USS Pennsylvania is one of several submarines sent to deal with a Japanese invasion of the Northern Mariana Islands. She becomes the first U.S. nuclear submarine to sink an enemy warship when she fires a torpedo at a Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force hunter-killer (SSK)-type submarine.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 "Ohio-class SSGN-726". http://www.fas.org/programs/ssp/man/uswpns/navy/submarines/ssgn726_ohio.html. Retrieved 2011-09-27.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Frost, Peter. "Newport News contract awarded". http://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-local_subs_0424apr24,0,5810806.story. Retrieved 2011-09-27.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Submarine Frequently Asked Questions". http://www.navy.mil/navydata/cno/n87/faq.html. Retrieved 2011-09-27.
- This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain. The entry can be found here.
External links[]
- Photo gallery of Pennsylvania (SSBN-735) at NavSource Naval History
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The original article can be found at USS Pennsylvania (SSBN-735) and the edit history here.