The Navy’s newest fast-attack submarine, Hyman G. Rickover, officially joined the fleet Saturday during a ceremony at Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, Connecticut.
It is the second boat to be named after the late Adm. Rickover, regarded as the father of the nuclear Navy who developed the world’s first nuclear-powered sub, Nautilus, that went to sea in 1955, according to the Navy.
“He changed our submarine force, he changed the nature of naval warfare and he changed U.S. industry and shipbuilding forever,” Adm. Frank Caldwell, director of the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, said at the ceremony, according to a Navy release.
Crewed by roughly 135 sailors, Rickover can dive deeper than 800 feet and speed faster than 25 knots, or nearly 29 mph.
Fast-attack subs take on a variety of missions and are able to deliver special operators and launch Tomahawk cruise missiles.
“The commissioning of [this] ship is dedicated to a leader who reshaped our sea service through an unrelenting 63 years of service,” Rickover’s commanding officer, Cmdr. Matthew Beach, said of his boat’s namesake. “In front of you today on board this ship, the proud sailors of the next generation - Hyman G. Rickover - stand ready to continue this legacy of excellence guiding our ship into harm’s way and defending the values that we hold dear.”
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