Article Summary – The U.S. Navy has officially taken delivery of the Virginia-class attack submarine USS Massachusetts (SSN-798) from HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding, the 25th boat in the class.
-Now entering trials ahead of a planned 2026 commissioning in Boston, the Block IV sub brings the full Virginia toolkit: stealthy nuclear propulsion, Tomahawk land-attack capability, ISR, and support for special operations forces.
The Virginia-class attack submarine USS Virginia departs for a six-week underway. During this deployment, Virginia will undergo an Operational Reactor Safeguard Examination and a Tactical Readiness Evaluation to assess the submarine’s reactor along with its capacity to combat casualties through damage control.
-The design is modular, built jointly with General Dynamics Electric Boat, and sets the stage for future Block V boats with the Virginia Payload Module. Sister sub USS Idaho (SSN-799) is close behind, also expected to join the fleet in 2026.
Inside USS Massachusetts: The Virginia-Class Sub That Will Guard America’s Seas
The United States Navy has taken delivery of a new attack submarine, which will be named the USS Massachusetts (SSN 798). The submarine had been christened at the NNS shipyard in Newport News, with former Facebook executive Sheryl Sandberg serving as sponsor.
It was launched by a floating dry dock in February of 2024.
The Navy received the submarine from HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) on November 21, the day that represented the official transfer from the shipbuilder to the Navy. The submarine will now conduct tests ahead of its official commissioning ceremony, likely set for the spring of 2026.
It’s not yet clear when the commissioning ceremony will take place, but it will be in the namesake state of Massachusetts, in Boston Harbor.
Once it takes place, the commissioning “coincides with the 250th anniversary of the United States Navy, with Massachusetts being a key location in its history,” the Commissioning Commission website says. “The commissioning in Boston is expected to attract significant attention, showcasing New England’s legacy of innovation and military support.”
It was announced earlier this fall by the commissioning committee that the command of the new submarine will be entrusted to Commanding Officer Mike Siedsma, Executive Officer Dennis Guy, and Chief of the Boat Edward Brennan III.
Virginia-class attack submarine USS North Carolina (SSN 777) sails in formation, off the coast of Hawaii during Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2024, July 22. Twenty-nine nations, 40 surface ships, three submarines, 14 national land forces, more than 150 aircraft and 25,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC in and around the Hawaiian Islands, June 27 to Aug. 1. The world’s largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity while fostering and sustaining cooperative relationships among participants critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world’s oceans. RIMPAC 2024 is the 29th exercise in the series that began in 1971. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class John Bellino)
It’s the 25th Virginia-class submarine produced through the collaboration of General Dynamics Electric Boat (GDEB) and NNS. Per USNI News, it was “built in modular sections,” between HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia and General Dynamics Electric Boat’s yard in Groton, Conn.
“With each Virginia-class submarine delivery, the Navy strengthens its partnership with the shipbuilding industry to maintain our undersea dominance,” Capt. Mike Hollenbach, Virginia Class Submarine program manager, said in the Navy’s announcement.
“I’m proud of the work thousands of shipbuilders and Navy personnel have put into reaching this important construction milestone. Together, we continue [to] build the best submarines in the world.”
It will be the fifth Navy vessel to take the name USS Massachusetts, going back to the Mexican-American War in the mid-19th century. The last one before now served during World War II, and is now a museum ship located in Fall River, Mass.
Per the Navy, the purpose of attack submarines is “to seek and destroy enemy submarines and surface ships; project power ashore with Tomahawk cruise missiles and Special Operation Forces (SOF); carry out Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions; support battle group operations; and engage in mine warfare.”
Before Delivery
Ahead of the delivery, HII announced in early October that it had completed the submarine’s initial sea trials.
“Over the course of several days at sea, the NNS and Navy team conducted testing of systems and components, including submerging the submarine for the first time and high-speed maneuvers while on the surface and submerged,” the company announced in the October 7 announcement. “The testing program will continue at NNS ahead of delivering the boat to the US Navy.”
(Sept.9, 2011) The Virginia-class submarine Pre-Commissioning Unit (PCU) California (SSN 781) gets underway from Naval Station Norfolk to conduct weapons systems acceptance trials. California is the eighth Virginia-class submarine and is scheduled to be commissioned Oct. 29. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class William Jamieson/Released)
Four months before that, back in June, per HII, the first meal was served aboard the new submarine. Sandberg, the ship’s sponsor, was on hand for the meal, which included “traditional New England staples such as grilled salmon, lobster rolls, New England clam chowder, and loukoumades for dessert.”
“The inaugural meal aboard Massachusetts marks the beginning of countless meals that will sustain the crew as they gear up to integrate this mighty submarine into the fleet,” Jason Ward, NNS vice president of submarine construction, said as part of that June announcement.
“We look forward to delivering Massachusetts to the Navy, so that this critical national security asset can do the work of protecting our great nation.”
Per Army Recognition, the new submarine “follows the Virginia-class Block IV standard with a length of approximately 115 meters, a beam of about 10.4 meters, and a draft of 9.8 meters. Its submerged displacement is roughly 7,800 tonnes for Block I to Block IV units, and its propulsion system consists of a single S9G pressurized water reactor (PWR), estimated to generate 210 megawatts (MWt), coupled to steam turbines to deliver a combined 40,000 shaft horsepower (29.8 MW) to a single pump jet propulsor.”
Per the Navy’s website, the Navy is continuing to build the next class of Virginia-class submarines.
“The Virginia class has several innovations that significantly enhance its warfighting capabilities, including in littoral—or coastal—operations,” the Naval site says. “The class has special features to support SOF, including a reconfigurable torpedo room which can accommodate a large number of SOF personnel and all their equipment for prolonged deployments, as well as future off-board payloads.”
There’s also more to come in that class of ships.
“The next major change is the incorporation of the Virginia Payload Module (VPM), starting with the second Block V ship, SSN 803, currently under construction. VPM incorporates four additional large-diameter payload tubes in a new hull section located amidships,” the Navy says.
The Submarine Force in the Navy, per that article, “relies on its technological superiority and the speed, endurance, mobility, stealth, and payload afforded by nuclear power to retain its preeminence in the undersea battlespace.”
Idaho, Too
Naval News had reported back in mid-November that two Virginia-class submarines were undergoing sea trials at the time. The other one, besides the soon-to-be Massachusetts, was the future USS Idaho (SSN-799).
According to the USS Idaho’s commissioning committee website, the submarine is also expected to receive its commission in 2026.
“She was christened in March 2024 and is likely to be commissioned into the Navy fleet during the spring of 2026,” the Idaho website says. “Much of the advanced acoustic stealth technology came from the US Navy’s premier Acoustic Research Laboratory in Bayview, Idaho, on Lake Pend Oreille, and is home to the largest unmanned submarine in the world. The Navy facility is located on the former Camp Farragut, the second largest of seven Navy boot camps in WWII, training almost 300k sailors during the war.”
There were four previous ships named USS Idaho, the most recent of which was commissioned in 1919 and also served in World War II.
About the Author: Stephen Silver
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist, and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review, and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, national security, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
More Military
The Navy Wanted 29 Stealth Seawolf-Class Nuclear Attack Submarines. It Got Only 3
