SSN 795 will be the second naval ship to bear the name Hyman G. Rickover. The first was a Los Angeles-class attack submarine, SSN 709, christened on August 27, 1983 and commissioned July 21, 1984. Mrs. Eleonore B. Rickover, the wife of Admiral Rickover, was the ship sponsor. SSN 709 was the only Los Angeles-class submarine not named after a U.S. city or town, and the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for Admiral Rickover, father of the nuclear Navy. She was decommissioned on December 14, 2006.
The submarine Hyman G. Rickover (SSN 795) is the 22nd ship of the Virginia Class, which has been designed from the keel up for the full range of 21st-century mission requirements, including anti-submarine and surface ship warfare and special operations support.
These submarines excel in littoral and open-ocean environments and collect intelligence critical to irregular warfare efforts with advanced intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities. Unobtrusive, non-provocative and connected with land, air, sea and space-based assets, these versatile and powerful vessels are a core component of the Navy fleet.
Ships of the Virginia Class embody the commitment by the Navy and industry to reduce costs without decreasing capabilities through a multi-year procurement strategy, continuous improvements in construction practices and cost-reduction design changes. So far, 28 Virginia-class submarines have been delivered, are in construction, or under contract.
Electric Boat, its construction partner Newport News Shipbuilding, and the U.S. Navy continue collaborating to reduce the cost of future ships while introducing new capabilities to ensure the ongoing relevance of Rickover and the Virginia Class. Electric Boat’s goal remains unchanged – to provide the U.S. Navy with the most sophisticated undersea warships in the world.