Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) hosted a ceremony Tuesday to lay down the keel, or backbone, for the Virginia-class attack submarine Barb (SSN 804), the company announced in a release.
The Barb is the 31st Virginia-class attack submarine and the 15th that will be delivered by NNS.
“Our reason to come together this morning represents not only the laying down of our next submarine keel, but a solemn commitment we are making to our country,” NNS President Kari Wilkinson said in the press release Tuesday. “It marks the beginning of a construction journey, and while it is a journey measured in inches of weld, amount of pipe, and amount of cable pulled, it is fueled by the strength and determination of shipbuilders and our partners working together toward a common objective.”
The dual-capable Virginia-class submarine is planned to deploy the nuclear-armed, sea-launched cruise missile and include a variant of the W80-4 warhead, something the National Nuclear Security Administration is already working on.