HII Newport News Shipbuilding has delivered the 23rd Vrginia-class nuclear attack submarine to the U.S. Navy, the company announced in a Thursday statement.
New Jersey (SSN-796) is the fifth Block IV Virginia attack boat and the first designed from the keel up to accommodate mixed gender crews. The boat completed sea trials earlier this year off the coast of Virginia.
“It is a proud day for our entire team when we deliver a high-quality submarine like New Jersey to the fleet,” Jason Ward, HII’s vice president of Virginia-class submarine construction, said in a statement.
“We applaud our shipbuilders for delivering this critical capability to the fleet, while maintaining our highest standards of safety and quality.”
New Jersey plans to commission in September in New Jersey, according to the commissioning committee.
Delivery of New Jersey comes as builders HII Newport News Shipbuilding and General Dynamics Electric Boat wrestle with a backlog of submarine construction.
Both yards have faced delays in delivering Virginia attack boats due to both workforce shortages and supply chain issues that were complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to meet the demands of the U.S. Navy and the U.S. obligation to the AUKUS agreement with Australia and the U.K., the yards need to deliver at the pace of 2.33 boats a year. At the moment the delivery rate is about 1.3.
Originally laid down in 2019, New Jersey’s construction took about five years – two years longer than the first Block IV boat.
