The ninth Block V Virginia-class nuclear attack boat will be named after San Francisco, Calif., Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro announced on Tuesday.
Speaking in the Embarcadero neighborhood on San Francisco’s eastern shore, Del Toro announced the name for the future SSN-810 as part of the Navy’s Fleet Week events in the city.
“USS San Francisco will build upon the legacy of her namesakes, and will no doubt represent the people of this city and our nation with honor wherever she may sail,” Del Toro said.
Del Toro also announced that former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) will be the submarine’s sponsor.
The future attack boat will get outfitted with the Virginia Payload Module that is designed to field up to 28 Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles for a total of 32 for the boat.
It’ll be the fourth ship named after the city.
“The first San Francisco, a steel-protected cruiser, blockaded Havana, Cuba, during the Spanish-American War and served as a mine planter in the North Sea during World War I,” reads a statement from the Navy.
“The second San Francisco, a heavy cruiser, had an equally distinguished career, participating in operations and engagements at Cape Esperance, Guadalcanal, Guam, the Marshall Islands, and Okinawa during World War II.”
The most recent was the Los Angeles-class attack submarine, the former USS San Francisco (SSN-711). San Francisco was inactivated from service in 2017. During its service life, the attack boat collided with an underwater mountain in 200,5 leading to an extensive refit. The hull is now the moored training vessel for the Naval Nuclear Power Training Unit in Charleston, S.C.
The naming of the attack boat follows Del Toro’s announcement in May at New York Fleet Week that Block V Virginia attack boat SSN-811 would be named after Long Island.
