HII launches Virginia-class submarine New Jersey

America’s largest shipbuilder HII announced Thursday it launched the Virginia-class submarine New Jersey into the James River at the company’s Newport News Shipbuilding Division.

The 7,800-ton submarine was submerged and moved by tugboats to the shipyard’s submarine pier for final outfitting, testing, and crew certification. Previously, the ship had been in a floating dry dock after being transferred from a construction facility in March.

“Achieving this construction milestone is a very rewarding event to our shipbuilding team,” said Jason Ward, Newport News’ vice president of Virginia-class submarine construction. “Our shipbuilders and suppliers have dedicated years of hard work to this critical capability that will maintain our customer’s undersea superiority. We now look forward to executing our waterborne test program and working toward sea trials so we can deliver to the Navy.”

An estimated 10,000 shipbuilders and suppliers have taken part in the new Jersey’s construction as part of a teaming agreement with General Dynamics Electric Boat. Work on the submarine began in 2016, and the ship is now 92 percent complete.

One of the nuclear-powered fast attack, or Virginia-class, submarines, the New Jersey is built for a broad spectrum of open ocean and littoral missions to replace the Navy’s Los Angeles-class submarines as they retire. Virginia-class submarines incorporate new technologies and innovation to increase firepower, maneuverability, and stealth, which enhances their warfighting capabilities. The Virginia-class submarines can support multiple mission areas and can operate at speeds of more than 25 knots for months at a time.