USS Columbia (SSN-771)

USS Columbia (SSN-771), is the 21st flight III, or Improved (688i) Los Angeles-class attack submarine, and is the eighth vessel of the United States Navy to bear that name. The earlier Columbia's were given their names for differing reasons; SSN-771 was specifically named in honor of Columbia, South Carolina, Columbia, Missouri, and Columbia, Illinois.[3]

For other ships with the same name, see USS Columbia.

USS Columbia (SSN-771)
History
United States
NameUSS Columbia
NamesakeCities of Columbia, South Carolina, Columbia, Missouri, and Columbia, Illinois
Awarded14 December 1988
BuilderGeneral Dynamics Electric Boat
Laid down21 April 1993
Launched24 September 1994
Sponsored byHillary Clinton
Christened24 September 1994
Completed24 September 1994
Commissioned9 October 1995
HomeportPearl Harbor
MottoPreserving Freedom On The Seas
Statusin active service
Badge
General characteristics
Class and type Los Angeles-class submarine
Displacement
  • 6,000 long tons (6,096 t) light
  • 6,927 long tons (7,038 t) full
  • 927 long tons (942 t) dead
Length110.3 m (361 ft 11 in)
Beam10 m (32 ft 10 in)
Draft9.4 m (30 ft 10 in)
Propulsion
  • 1 × S6G PWR nuclear reactor with D2W core (165 MW), HEU 93.5%[1][2]
  • 2 × steam turbines (33,500) shp
  • 1 × shaft
  • 1 × secondary propulsion motor 325 hp (242 kW)
SpeedSurface: About 15 knots. Submerged: About 32 knots.
Complement12 officers, 110 men
Armament
  • 4 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes
  • 12 x Vertical Launch Missile Tubes

The contract to build Columbia was awarded to the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corporation in Groton, Connecticut on 14 December 1988 and her keel was laid down on 21 April 1993.[3] She was the 33rd Los Angeles class built by EB, and was launched on 24 September 1994 with the slide down a 1300-foot wooden ramp, the last American submarine to do so, giving her the title of "The Last Slider".[3] Columbia was sponsored by Hillary Clinton, and commissioned on 9 October 1995.[3]

Future U.S. submarine sharing the same name

Although no decommissioning date has been announced for this Columbia, it has been announced that the lead ship of the Ohio-class replacement ballistic missile submarines, will also be named Columbia (SSBN-826), though that boat will be named for the District of Columbia. The name was officially announced on 25 July 2016 by U.S. Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus.[4] The vessel is expected to enter service in 2031, at which point this Columbia will be 37 years old. As of 2022, 36 Los Angeles-class boats have been retired, and only three were in service longer than 37 years.

References
  1. "International Panel on Fissile Materials". fissilematerials.org. 10 April 2020. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  2. "Validation of the Use of Low Enriched Uranium as a Replacement for Highly Enriched Uranium in US Submarine Reactors" (PDF). dspace.mit.edu. June 2015. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  3. "USS Columbia (SSN-771)". navysite.de. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  4. "Navy Ohio Replacement Sub Class to Be Named for D.C." usni.org. 29 July 2019. Retrieved 24 February 2022.

This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain.

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