Virginia-class Attack Boat Illinois Completes Alpha Trials

[F-22Raptor]

The latest Virginia-class nuclear attack boat has completed its first set of trials during its first open ocean voyage, builder General Dynamics Electric Boat announced on Monday.

The $2.5 billion Illinois (SSN-786) is the 13th ship in the Virginia-class and the third in the Block III configuration of the attack submarine.

The submarine’s “alpha sea trials included a range of submarine and propulsion-plant operations, submerging for the first time and high-speed runs on and below the surface to demonstrate that the ship’s propulsion plant is fully mission-capable,” read the statement from EB.
“The sea trials were directed by U.S. Navy Adm. James F. Caldwell Jr., director – Naval Nuclear Propulsion. Also participating in the sea trials were Capt. Jeffrey Heydon, supervisor of shipbuilding in Groton, and Jeffrey S. Geiger, president of Electric Boat.”

The previous ship in the class – USS John Warner (SSN-785) – was commissioned last year and delivered three months early.

The 7,800-ton Virginia-class is arguably the Navy’s most successful shipbuilding program with ship deliveries coming in ahead of schedule. The Block III configuration of the ship was redesigned to accommodate a new water-backed Large Aperture Bow (LAB) sonar array and the addition of two Multiple All Up Round Canisters that can each hold six Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles (TLAM).

Illinois is set to commission in October.

https://news.usni.org/2016/08/01/attack-boat-illinois-completes-alpha-trials

 

[Oldman1]

Can't wait to see the new boats with the payload module soon hopefully.

 

[Star Wars]

Attack boat ? why not call it an attack submarine. Boat sounds so........primitive...

 

[Oldman1]

Attack boat ? why not call it an attack submarine. Boat sounds so........primitive...

U.S. Navy calls it attack submarine. But with tradition, submariners call them boats. Sure it could be archaic.