Awarded 22 December 2008 Sponsored by Elisabeth Mabus Construction started 22 November 2014 Length 115 m | Laid down 22 November 2014 Christened 5 March 2016 Launched 13 April 2016 Beam 10 m | |
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Builders General Dynamics Electric Boat, Newport News Shipbuilding | ||
USS Washington (SSN-787) is a Virginia-class submarine. The contract to build her was awarded to Huntington Ingalls Industries in partnership with the Electric Boat division of General Dynamics in Newport News, Virginia on 22 December 2008. This ship is the fourth of the Block III subs which will feature a revised bow, including some technology from Ohio-class SSGNs. Construction began on 2 September 2011 at Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia. On 13 April 2012, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, announced SSN-787 will be named after the State of Washington, which was celebrated during a naming ceremony in Seattle on 7 February 2013. The Navy christened the ship on 5 March 2016, during a ceremony at Newport News Shipbuilding in Newport News, Virginia.
Crest
The crest contains images including Mount Rainier, the Seattle skyline, evergreen trees, and silhouettes of the previous two USS Washington’s.
The central image is of the submarine, coming forth from the waters of the Puget Sound. The paint scheme is of local Native American art depicting an orca whale, the state’s official marine mammal.
Along the top of the state border, 6 hollow stars represent previous naval vessels named for George Washington with 2 solid gold stars representing the previous ships named for the state. At the bottom, silver and gold submarine dolphins, represent the enlisted and officer warfare insignia respectively, sit atop a block of battleship armor plating.
The motto, “Preserving Peace, Prepared for War,” is derived from a quote from George Washington, “To be prepared for war is one of the most effective means of preserving peace.”
Set behind the state is a ring adorned with the official state tartan colored green (for the evergreen forests), blue (for the lakes, rivers, and ocean), white (for the snow-capped mountains), red (for the apple and cherry crops), yellow (for the wheat and grain crops), and black (for the eruption of Mount St. Helens).