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USS Virginia submarine powers through first sea trials

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By Christopher Munsey
Times staff writer

GROTON, Conn — After three days underway, Virginia returned to the General Dynamics Electric Boat shipyard in Groton, Conn., out of a flat gray haze on a breezy, summer day on Long Island Sound at the mouth of the Thames River. She was greeted by hundreds of hard-hat wearing shipyard workers lining the deck of a shipyard graving dock.

“This sea trial was an absolute success, a clean sweep as we say in the Navy,” said Adm. Frank L. “Skip” Bowman, director of Naval Nuclear Reactors.

Bowman and other top Navy officers went along for the critical test, joined by scores of technical experts from the Navy and the ship’s contractors.

He complimented Virginia’s prospective commanding officer, Capt. David J. Kern, and Virginia’s crew for their performance.

“It was the first of many, many things, the first dive, the first emergency blows, the first reactor shut-downs at sea. … The propulsion plant performed flawlessly, and Capt. Kern and his crew were absolutely magnificent,” Bowman said.

Bowman followed up his words with a rare gesture, personally handing Kern a personal command coin, saying it’s only one of three he’s handed out.

Virginia, the lead ship in the Navy’s next generation of attack submarines, was escorted by a screen of Coast Guard escort boats as it moved up the Thames River toward the shipyard.

The submarine left the yard for the first time July 27, heading into the Atlantic for what’s known as “alpha trials.”

The main purpose was to test the submarine’s propulsion plant and maneuverability.

Besides putting the ship through its paces, the crew took Virginia down to its classified maximum test depth three times, and did three emergency ballast blows, popping Virginia to the surface like an underwater rocket, officials said.

“Running at maximum power at a flank bell, reversing that ahead flank to a stern bell in as rapid a fashion as possible, to prove that the machinery will take that kind of stressful action … the sonars were tested, the radars were tested, the people were tested,” Bowman said.

The three days were described as “intense” by several sailors who are members of Virginia’s precommissioning unit.

Many served with the PCU for several years, working on the completion of the submarine and training on its new systems. But taking the submarine to sea, and diving down hundreds of feet for the first time, was something they’ll remember for a long time.

Machinist’s Mate (SS) 1st Class Derrick Jones said knowing Virginia was going deep for the first time made a big difference. As the ship dove beyond its usual operating depth, Jones found himself mentally rehearsing what to do if something did go wrong.

“Knowing it’s the first ship of its class, and it’s the very first time you’re going deep, you’ve got a million things going through your mind about what can happen. … Pretty much the whole crew stayed up for it,” Jones said.

Sonar Technician (SS) 2nd Class Joshua Frederick said he signed up for Virginia two years ago because it’s the lead ship in a new class.

“It’s pretty tense, because we weren’t sure. I was excited, and it was good to know we could go down that far,” Frederick said.

Virginia’s first ride was a long time coming.

Described by Navy officials as the first submarine designed for a post-Cold War mission, the Navy ordered the first Virginia-class submarine in 1998.

So far, 10 have been ordered. Besides Virginia, three are under construction: Texas, Hawaii and North Carolina.

Texas was scheduled to be christened July 31 at Norfolk Naval Station, Va.

The submarines cost roughly $2.2 billion each.

For Congress, the question of how many Virginia-class submarines to eventually order per year will become important to the overall size of the Navy’s fast-attack submarine fleet in decades to come.

The Virginia class subs will eventually replace the 1970s-era Los Angeles class.

Navy officials have said the Virginia class will offer a number of improvements over the older attack boats. Besides being stealthier, Virginia will pack more Tomahawk cruise missiles and torpedoes. Virginia will be able to host more Special Operations forces, and serve as a carrier for either a dry-deck shelter or an Advanced SEAL Delivery System mini-submarine, sneaking into shallow coastal waters and launching commandoes ashore.

Following additional series of longer sea-trial tests, Virginia will be commissioned Oct. 23 in Norfolk.
 
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