Huntington Delivers USS Delaware Attack Submarine to US Navy

Huntington Ingalls delivered USS Delaware (SSN 791) Virginia-class attack submarine to the US Navy on Thursday.

 The Navy accepted delivery of the future USS Delaware (SSN 791), the 18th submarine of the Virginia class on October 25, the US Navy said in a statement on Tuesday.

Delaware is the eighth and final Virginia class block III submarine. The ship began construction in 2013 and is scheduled to be commissioned on April 4, 2020.

Compared to blocks I and II of the class, block III submarines feature a redesigned bow replacing 12 individual vertical launch tubes with two large-diameter Virginia Payload Tubes, each capable of launching six Tomahawk cruise missiles. The design also incorporates a water-backed large-aperture bow sonar array in place of the traditional air-backed spherical array.

Virginia class submarines are built to operate in the world's littoral and deep waters while conducting anti-submarine warfare; anti-surface ship warfare; strike warfare; special operations forces support; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; irregular warfare and mine warfare missions. Their inherent stealth, endurance, mobility and firepower enable them to support five of the six Maritime Strategy core capabilities -- sea control, power projection, forward presence, maritime security and deterrence.