The USS Massachusetts, the Navy's newest Virginia-class fast attack submarine, was commissioned this past Saturday (March 28) in South Boston. The new nuclear-powered attack submarine (SSN-798), is the first submarine named after the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the eighth Navy vessel to bear the name.
Historically, the name has been carried by eight other vessels including two battleships:
USS Massachusetts (BB-59): A South Dakota-class fast battleship commissioned in 1942, which served extensively in World War II (including the invasions of North Africa, the Gilbert and Marshall Islands, and the Battle of Okinawa) before being decommissioned in 1947. Since 1965, it has been preserved as a museum ship at Battleship Cove in Fall River, Massachusetts, since 1965.
USS Massachusetts (BB-2): An Indiana-class pre-dreadnought battleship commissioned in 1896 that served in the Spanish–American War and World War I before being renamed Coast Battleship Number 2 and scuttled off Pensacola, Florida, in 1921, where its wreck now serves as an artificial reef and diving spot.
The current SSN-798, built by Newport News Shipbuilding, is a 377-foot-long vessel with a displacement of 7,800 tons and a complement of 135 crew members, featuring advanced stealth, surveillance, and special warfare capabilities.
Look closely, because this may be the last time you're able to see her.
Godspeed to the USS Massachusetts and her crew.
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