USS Minnesota (SSN-783)
USS Minnesota (SSN-783) is a nuclear powered fast attack submarine, the 10th of the Virginia-class. She is the third United States Navy vessel to bear the name and the second of two named for the state, while the other was named for the Minnesota River.
![]() USS Minnesota (SSN-783) departs Norfolk in January 2014 | |
History | |
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Name | USS Minnesota |
Namesake | The state of Minnesota |
Awarded | 14 August 2003 |
Builder | Newport News Shipbuilding |
Laid down | 20 May 2011[1] |
Sponsored by | Ellen Roughead |
Christened | 27 October 2012 |
Acquired | 6 June 2013 |
Commissioned | 7 September 2013 |
Homeport | Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam |
Motto | Ex Septentrio Virtus ("From the North, power") |
Status | in active service |
Badge | ![]() |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Virginia-class submarine |
Displacement | app. 7800 long tons (7925 metric tons) submerged |
Length | 114.9 meters (377 feet) |
Beam | 10.3 meters (34 feet) |
Propulsion | |
Speed | 25 knots (46 km/h) |
Range | Essentially unlimited distance; 33 years |
Test depth | greater than 800 feet (240 meters) |
Complement | 134 sailors |
Minnesota was laid down on 20 May 2011, and christened on 27 October 2012 in a ceremony attended by many top ranking officials in the U.S. Navy and Congress.[1][6][7]
On 6 June 2013, Huntington Ingalls Industries announced that Minnesota had been delivered to the Navy, nearly 11 months ahead of schedule.[8][9] Minnesota was commissioned on 7 September 2013.
After commissioning, Minnesota remained at the General Dynamics Electric Boat shipyards in Groton, CT for over two years. A broken pipe joint was discovered in the vessel's nuclear reactor. The pipe had been tampered with in order to make the part appear within specifications.[11] Although a failure of the pipe would not result in a reactor incident, it would affect the reactor's ability to produce steam used for propulsion.[11] The same issue has been discovered on two other boats in the class. A Navy investigation determined that two other ships had the same issue, and the U.S. Justice Department commenced an investigation of the contractor responsible for the defective parts.[11]
On 27 May 2016, Minnesota left the Electric Boat shipyards for her home port, Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, Connecticut, to prepare for fleet operations.[12]
On 17 March 2022, Minnesota arrived at her new home port, Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam.[13]
- Minnesota under construction at Newport News, VA.
- The crew of USS Minnesota mans the ship during her commissioning at Norfolk Naval Base on 7 September 2013.
- A Sonar Technician stands lookout in the sail aboard Minnesota as the boat transits Port Canaveral, FL.
- Minnesota pulls pierside in Norfolk, VA.
References
- Naval Sea Systems Command Public Affairs (20 May 2011). "Navy Lays Keel for PCU Minnesota". Navy News Service. Archived from the original on 26 September 2012. Retrieved 20 May 2011.
- Ragheb, Magdi (9 September 2011), Tsvetkov, Pavel (ed.), "Nuclear Naval Propulsion", Nuclear Power - Deployment, Operation and Sustainability, ISBN 978-953-307-474-0
- "Validation of the Use of Low Enriched Uranium as a Replacement for Highly Enriched Uranium in US Submarine Reactors" (PDF). dspace.mit.edu. June 2015. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
- "US study of reactor and fuel types to enable naval reactors to shift from HEU fuel". fissilematerials.org. 10 April 2020. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
- Frost, Peter, "Newport News Shipyard Will Lay Keel of Submarine Minnesota on Friday", Newport News Daily Press, 20 May 2011.
- Brunswick, Mark (26 October 2012). "USS Minnesota will be christened Saturday". Star Tribune. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
- Walsh, Paul (6 June 2013). "Navy receives $2 billion attack sub USS Minnesota". Star Tribune. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
- "Submarine Minnesota Delivered on Budget and Ahead of Schedule" (Press release). Huntington Ingalls Industries. GlobeNewswire. 6 June 2013.
- Mizokami, Kyle (29 March 2016). "Billion-Dollar Attack Sub Sidelined for Two Years Over Shoddy Work". Popular Mechanics. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
- "After more than two years at EB, USS Minnesota transferred to sub base to prepare for fleet operations". 27 May 2016. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
- Michael Zingaro (17 March 2022). "USS Minnesota Arrives at Pearl Harbor". Submarine Force Pacific News.
- 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
