USS Indiana (SSN-789)

History of USS Indiana (SSN-789)

Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarines were built around the turn of the century and are currently (2018) about 16 of the 66 originally planned. The Clas was developed as a cost-effective, albeit very expensive, replacement for the state-of-the-art "Sea Wolf" model - only 3 of the planned 29 ships were completed.

One of the newest Virginia-class ships is the USS Indiana (SSN-789), a state-of-the-art strike platform destined to be a key part of the United States Navy's (USN) future plans.

The USS Indiana construction contract was awarded to Newport News Shipbuilding (Huntington Ingalls Industries/Electric Boat, General Dynamics) on 22 December 2008 and the keel was laid down some time later on 16 May 2015. 2017, and was officially commissioned by the U.S. Navy on September 29, 2018. Her home port is in Groton, Connecticut, with ready access to Atlantic waters.

Her design incorporates Block III improvements, including the bow and vertical launch system (VLS) used in Ohio-class submarines.

When complete, the submarine will displace 7,800 tons and be 377 feet long and 34 feet wide. It is powered by General Electric's S9G series of water-cooled nuclear reactors, giving it unparalleled underwater performance and essentially unlimited operating range. The underwater speed can reach 25 knots. The streamlined hull has been tested to a depth of 240 m (800 ft).

There were 134 officers and sailors on board.

Armament includes 4 x 533mm bow torpedo tubes to support Mk 48 series torpedo series. Up to 37 reloads are possible.

Perhaps more important is Indiana's support for the BGM-109 Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles, 12 of which can be fired from a mounted VLS, giving the submarine a ferocious surface-to-surface attack quality. In addition, the submarine relies on its acoustic and radar reduction design, as well as on-board decoys and electronics, to survive in the deep blue sea.

Her overall hull appearance complies with class standards: round nose, hull mounted dive plane, front sail, raised rear (behind the sail) to accommodate VLS and tapered tail. Aft is the control plane and a ducted multi-blade propeller unit.

The nuclear power pack drives energy into this single wave.

USS Indiana (SSN-789) is still in service as of today (2018).

Specification

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