The US Navy has commissioned the nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Hyman G. Rickover, which will be capable of carrying 12 Tomahawk cruise missiles

The US Navy has commissioned the nuclear-powered submarine USS Hyman G. Rickover. She received the shipboard number SSN 795. The ceremony took place in Connecticut.

Here's What We Know

The nuclear-powered submarine is named in honour of an admiral who served for more than 60 years. Hyman Rickover is known as the "father of the atomic navy". His labours led to the creation of the US Navy's first nuclear-powered submarine. It appeared in 1955 and was named USS Nautilus (SSN 571).

Nearly three decades later, the US military commissioned the first nuclear-powered submarine, which was named after Hyman Rickover. The submarine was given the submarine's shipboard number SSN 709.

As for SSN 795, it is 115 metres long, 10.4 metres wide and has a draft of 9.8 metres. The new nuclear-powered submarine has a vertical launch system that can launch 12 BGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missiles.

USS Hyman G. Rickover (SSN 795) is the 22nd Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarine. It belongs to the Block IV generation. Block V submarines will have a new payload module that will increase the number of Tomahawk missiles to 40.

Source: US Navy