| Currently, there are
over 53 crewmembers assigned to Virginia, with 39
nuclear-trained personnel, including the Commanding Officer,
the Executive Officer, Engineer, Navigator, and four LDO
division officers. In addition, I have two master chiefs (Chief
of the Boat and Engineering Department Master Chief), and a
chief corpsman, yeoman, supply chief, and a LAN
administrator to round out the crew. The enlisted
crewmembers have five-year projected rotation dates and are
part of the first crew increment, called Increment A. Their
initial manning date was 15 May 2000, after completion of
the Reactor Plant Design School in April.
Increment A will be onboard through
construction and sea trials, and remain until Post Shakedown
Availability, which is typically about a year after delivery.
Increment B will report in June 2002 and will include about
50 more crewmembers, including Auxiliary Division, Weapons
Department, and Operations Department personnel. Three
split-tour submarine-qualified junior officers and the
ship’s four department heads will also report with
Increment B. Since the Virginia-class modular construction
program has required Navy operational support at a much
earlier date than previous new construction programs, the
Increment A OIC, XO, and Engineer will also change over at
the Increment B timeframe. This manning sequence will be the
same for subsequent ships of this class.
Increment B manning for Virginia
took place in June 2002.
By late 2001, if the existing hull
sections and completed components for Virginia were put
together, she would have been just under 50 percent
complete. For example, the forward part of Virginia’s
Engine Room and the Reactor Compartment are so far along
that ship’s force has recently commenced watch standing
and testing in that section. Virginia’s sea trials were
scheduled for March 2004, with delivery scheduled for June
2004.
The office building where
crewmembers work while Virginia is under construction is
located at the EB facilities and has a replica of the
extremely sophisticated LAN that will be used on the ship.
Using this LAN, the Virginia crew is developing a
streamlined connectivity process and is perfecting methods
of conducting business in a paperless environment. Taking
the existing database and downloading it onto the ship’s
network is all that will be required to shift operations
from the PCU office building to the boat.
By November 2002 the pressure hull
assembly was completed for the Virginia. The pressure hull
is assembled from a series of large steel cylinders welded
together to form the familiar cigar shape of a submarine.
The pressure hull is designed to resist the pressure of
water and to maintain a livable environment for the crew.
Virginia was more than 80 percent constructed, and is on
schedule for delivery in June 2004. With a modular design
and a teamed construction effort between Electric Boat and
Northrop Grumman Newport News, the Navy has reduced
acquisition costs and increased construction efficiency.
As of late 2002, a decision on the
homeport for the Virginia has yet to be made.
In August 2003 the Navy’s newest
and most advanced submarine, Virginia, was moved outdoors
for the first time, and was prepared for her Aug. 16
christening. Virginia is the first US submarine to be
designed for battlespace dominance across a broad spectrum
of regional and littoral missions as well as open-ocean,
"blue water" missions.
Sen. George Allen of Virginia
delivered the ceremony's principal address for the ship
named in honor of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Lynda Robb,
wife of former Virginia Sen. Charles Robb and daughter of
36th President Lyndon Baines Johnson, served as ship's
sponsor. |
