WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The US Department of Defense will unleash its latest next-generation stealth attack submarine during a ceremony this weekend, the US Navy said in a press release.
“The Navy will commission its newest fast attack submarine, the future USS John Warner… Saturday, Aug. 1, 2015, at Naval Station Norfolk [Virginia],” the release said on Wednesday.
Warner is a next-generation submarine that showcases stealth, surveillance and special warfare capabilities to operate across multiple types of missions, the release explained.
The vessel is also equipped, the release noted, for anti-submarine and anti-ship warfare, minefield mapping and delivery of US Special Forces.
US Virginia-class submarines weigh 7,800 tons and are 377 feet long. They are built with a reactor plant that will not require refuelling during the ship’s projected 33-year lifespan in order to reduce lifecycle costs, the release added.
The submarine is named after US Senator John Warner who served the United States as a Marine, sailor and the 61st Secretary of the Navy from 1972 to 1974, the release said.
