USS North Carolina (SSN-777)
USS North Carolina (SSN-777) during her commissioning ceremony in 2008. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| United States | |
| Name | North Carolina |
| Namesake | State of North Carolina |
| Ordered | 30 September 1998 |
| Builder | Northrop Grumman Newport News |
| Laid down | 22 May 2004 |
| Christened | 21 April 2007 |
| Launched | 5 May 2007 |
| Acquired | 21 February 2008 |
| Commissioned | 3 May 2008 |
| Homeport | Pearl Harbor, Hawaii |
| Motto | Primus in Proelio ("First in Fight") |
| Nickname(s) | The Lucky Girl |
| Status | in active service |
| Badge | |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Virginia-class submarine |
| Displacement | 7,800 tons |
| Length | 114.9 m (377 ft) |
| Beam | 10.3 m (34 ft) |
| Depth | 800 ft (244 m) |
| Propulsion | |
| Speed | 25 knots (46 km/h)+ |
| Range | Essentially unlimited distance; 33 years |
| Complement | 134 (14 officers, 120 enlisted) |
| Armament |
|
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USS North Carolina (SSN-777), a Virginia-class attack submarine, is the fourth vessel of the United States Navy named for U.S. state of North Carolina. The contract to build her was awarded to Northrop Grumman Newport News on 30 September 1998 and her keel was laid down on 24 May 2004. She was launched on 5 May 2007. North Carolina was commissioned on 3 May 2008 in Wilmington, North Carolina.
This class of submarine is unique in that it features the Photonics Mast Program (PMP) that freed ship designers to place the boat's control room in a lower, less geometrically constrained space than would be required by a standard, optical tube periscope. It is additionally unique in the U.S. Navy for featuring all-digital ship and ballast control systems that are operated by relatively senior watchstanders and a pressure chamber to deploy SEAL divers while being submerged. She is capable of diverse missions, including conventional submarine warfare, strike warfare, mining operations, and delivery of special operations personnel and equipment.