PCU John Warner (SSN 785) Delivered to the Navy

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (NNS) -- The U.S. Navy accepted delivery of PCU John Warner (SSN 785) June 25, the 12th submarine of the Virginia Class.

John Warner is the second of eight Virginia-class Block III ships and the sixth to be delivered to the U.S. Navy by Newport News Shipbuilding.

The submarine is named after John Warner, the five-term U.S. Senator from Virginia who served in both the Navy and Marine Corps, and was Secretary of the Navy from 1972 to 1974. His wife, Jeanne Warner, is the ship's sponsor.

"Like the ship before her, USS North Dakota, John Warner delivered ahead of schedule and within budget," said Rear Adm. David C. Johnson, program executive officer for Submarines. "The crew of John Warner has upheld the standard of excellence in the Virginia Class program."

John Warner successfully completed the Navy's Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) trials, which evaluate the submarine's seaworthiness and operational capabilities, June 12. During the trials, the crew took the submarine to test depth, tested the submarine's propulsion plant and material readiness resulting in the highest INSURV score of the Virginia-class submarines. John Warner will spend the upcoming weeks preparing for its Aug. 1 commissioning in Norfolk, Virginia.

Block III submarines feature a redesigned bow, which replaces 12 individual launch tubes with two large-diameter Virginia Payload Tubes each capable of launching six Tomahawk cruise missiles, among other design changes that reduced the submarines' acquisition cost while maintaining their outstanding warfighting capabilities.

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

Team Submarine oversees the submarine force's research, development, acquisition, maintenance and life cycle support.

For more news from Naval Sea Systems Command, visit www.navy.mil/local/navsea/.