Pictorial: Building a nuclear submarine – USS MINNESOTA (SSN 783)

The U.S. Navy’s Virginia-class nuclear attack submarines are built in two shipyards – the Newport News Shipbuilding yard of Huntington Ingalls Industries in Virginia, and the Electric Boat facilities of General Dynamics in Connecticut and Rhode Island. Each yard builds specific sections of every sub and ships them to the other yard, which alternate in completing the boats.

The latest sub under construction at Newport News is the MINNESOTA, tenth ship of the class. Here are several views of the undersea craft taken this year, from a construction view in the building shed in May, the ship’s christening ceremony in late October, and the launch on Nov. 9. 

All photos courtesy HII/Newport News Shipbuilding.

A temporary structure covers the submarine's forward section in this progress view from May 2012.

By Oct. 5, 2012, the temporary structure has been removed but exterior work continues on the sail superstructure, around the torpedo tube doors, and at the propulsor assembly right aft.

A christening ceremony to officially name the MINNESOTA was held on Oct. 27, 2012. Ellen Roughead, wife of retired Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead, is the ship's sponsor.

In early November, the 7,800-ton MINNESOTA was moved via a transfer car system out of the construction facility into a floating dry dock. The dock was submerged to launch the submarine.

Afloat for the first time, the MINNESOTA was towed from the submerged dry dock on the morning of Nov. 9, 2012 to a fitting out pier. At this stage the submarine is about 92 percent complete. The MINNESOTA is scheduled to be delivered to the Navy next year and commissioned in the summer of 2013.

 

Christopher P. Cavas
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Christopher P. Cavas

If it's on, over, under or around the water, I write about it. Ships and aircraft, units, tactics, leadership, strategies, acquisition, politics, industry. In the USA and around the world.
Christopher P. Cavas
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