It is the fourth of eight planned Block III variants of the Virginia-class to be built and the seventh of the class to be delivered. It was constructed at Newport News Shipyard by Huntington Ingalls Industries. Work on the ship had begun in September 2011.
"Washington's delivery continues our commitment to deliver Virginia-class submarines within budget and ready to deploy and execute Fleet tasking," Virginia-class submarine program manager," Capt. Mike Stevens, Virginia-class submarine program manager said, said in a press release.
The Washington has successfully completed Board of Inspection and Survey trials earlier this month, officials said, registering the highest score of any new construction Virginia-class submarine. The inspections and testing are meant to prove the quality of construction and how well the submarine will perform deployed.
The Virginia-class attack submarine is meant to supplement and eventually replace the older Los Angeles-class. It is capable of carrying torpedoes, Tomahawk cruise missiles, and other weapon systems.
It also can also deploy undersea unmanned vehicles and deliver special forces teams on shore-based missions.
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