Things are currently going well for the US Navy, at least as far as the prospect of future deployments is concerned. With the christening of the latest submarine in the Virginia-class at the General Dynamics shipyard in Groton, the transfer to the fleet list of the American Navy is usually only one to two years away. As Hyman G. Rickover (SSN-795), the boat will soon be travelling the world's oceans, making it unique in its class. With the exception of only one other boat in the class, all SSNs bear the names of US states.
Sarah Greenert McNichol smashing the champagne bottle
So who was the unknown to European ears that the Navy honours so much? Born in 1900, Rickover joined the Navy at the tender age of 18 and began his training at the Naval Academy. Even in his first years on board, he impressed his superiors with his hard work and efficiency. A Master of Science in Electrical Engineering at Columbia University and the Naval Postgraduate School completed his education. His subsequent service to the Navy centred on his tireless efforts to develop and implement nuclear propulsion. He recognised the advantages of this technology for use on submarines at an early stage and ultimately convinced Admiral Chester Nimitz. Together with his team, he played a significant role in the completion of the world's first nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Nautilus. Rickover became so important that he only left the Navy in 1982, just four years before his death, with the rank of four-star admiral. For almost 30 of his 64 (sic!) years of service, he was allowed to wear the thick stripe of an admiral on his sleeve.
The name Rickover may still be familiar to some naval enthusiasts. The Navy had already honoured his services in the past when it awarded a submarine of the Los Angeles-class was named after him. The boat, which was commissioned in 1984, was not only the only one of its class at the time that was not named after an American state or city. At the time, it was also only the second ship since 1900 to be named after a living person by the US Navy.
USS Hyman G. Rickover before the ceremony
As godmother of the brand new Hyman G. Rickover Darleen Greenert, wife of the former Chief of Naval Operations, Jonathan Greenert, was in charge of the ceremony and her daughter was allowed to break the traditional champagne bottle. "It's really great to see the ship being completed and to see so many people here to celebrate the christening of the Hyman G. Rickover and to honour his legacy," said the commander of the submarine, Commander Thomas Niebel.
Since the turn of the millennium, the submarines of the Virginia-class were built by General Dynamics Electric Boat in Groton and Huntington Ingalls (formerly Newport News Shipbuilding) in Newport News. With a length of 115 metres, the nuclear-powered ships of Block IV displace 7835 tonnes. Tomahawk cruise missiles are available to the 132 crew members in the twelve tubes of the vertical launching system. In addition, Mk-48 torpedoes and Harpoon missiles can be fired from the four 533-millimetre torpedo tubes to engage surface targets. There are currently 19 boats of the Virginia-class in active service with the US Navy.
Godmother Darleen Greenert (left) presents the granddaughter of a shipyard employee with a flower
Text: mb; Photos: US Navy
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