Idaho’s ship history began with a wooden steam sloop completed in 1866 as part of the American Civil War’s program of steam cruisers. Later converted to a full-rigged sailing ship, the first USS Idaho became one of the fastest sailing ships of her day.
USS Idaho (BB 24) was a Mississippi-class battleship, built in Philadelphia and commissioned into the U.S. Navy fleet on April 1, 1908. Assigned to the Atlantic Fleet, USS Idaho performed routine training and fleet exercises, steaming across the United States and as far as Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, on several occasions. She was purchased by the Greek government and joined the Greek Navy as Lemnos in 1914.
The U.S. Navy purchased an existing 60-foot-long motorboat, USS Idaho (SP 545), during World War I. Assigned to the Fourth Naval District, Idaho performed patrols and general duties in the Cape May and Philadelphia areas before being returned to her previous owner after the war.
The fourth ship of the U.S. Navy to be named for the 43rd state was USS Idaho (BB 42), a New Mexico-class battleship built by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation of Camden, New Jersey. The third and final ship of her class, USS Idaho was commissioned in March 1919, and saw extensive service in the Pacific Fleet during WWII. USS Idaho was involved in the invasions of the Gilbert Islands, Marshall Islands and Iwo Jima, and the bombardment of Saipan and Peleliu. She was present in Tokyo Bay during the Japanese surrender in 1945, and was decommissioned in 1946. Idaho received seven battle stars for her WWII service.
The 43rd state to be admitted to the Union, Idaho is rich in naval history. The former Farragut Naval Training Station, located in Bayview, Idaho, was the second-largest training facility in the world during World War II. In eastern Idaho, the isolated terrain between the Arco desert and Idaho Falls was used as a bombing and artillery range for the Army and Navy. This same land would later be home to the National Reactor Testing Station, known today as the Idaho National Laboratory.
In 1952, construction began on the world’s first operational nuclear-powered submarine, USS Nautilus, at Electric Boat in Groton, Connecticut. Behind the idea of this first-of-its-kind submarine was Hyman G. Rickover, who believed nuclear power would not only work, but provide the U.S. Navy with a powerful warfighting advantage. Rickover assembled a team known as Naval Reactors, and set off to the National Reactor Testing Station, where they would develop and test the S1W reactor prototype for USS Nautilus.
The research and development done in Idaho proved nuclear power could operate a U.S. Navy vessel, and on January 21, 1954, USS Nautilus was launched, ushering in a new era in U.S. Navy history. The birthplace of the nuclear Navy, Idaho has a connection to each of the nuclear-powered vessels that followed Nautilus. Over 40,000 sailors would visit the 43rd state for training before being assigned to nuclear-powered ships.
Idaho’s Lake Pend Oreille, the fifth deepest lake in the United States, continues to be a testing ground for acoustic properties of submarines and surface ships. At 43 miles long and 1,150 feet deep, this quiet lake serves as an ideal environment for large-scale testing of U.S. Navy technology.
The submarine Idaho (SSN 799) is the 26th 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.
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 Idaho 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.