USS IDAHO commissioning date set for April 25
Bonner County Daily Bee | UPDATED 2 weeks, 5 days AGO
The USS Idaho heads out for a trial run
Photo courtesy General Dynamics Electric Boat
The USS IDAHO will be officially commissioned into the U.S. Navy fleet on April 25, at the Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, Conn.
The commissioning of the future USS IDAHO is the culmination of years of effort and the coordination of many official U.S. agencies, private industry and the many corporations and private individuals who have supported her construction, christening and now the commissioning event, a press release said.
"Much of the advanced acoustic stealth technology came from the U.S. Navy’s premier Acoustic Research Detachment in Bayview on Lake Pend Oreille," the release said.
ARD is home to the world's largest unmanned submarine.
The future USS IDAHO SSN 799 is a leading-edge Virginia Class nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine built by General Dynamics Electric Boat in Connecticut, christened in March 2024.
The USS Idaho will follow in the tradition of the four previous ships named USS IDAHO, the most recent of which was Battleship 42, commissioned in 1919. She served with distinction in the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa and was present in Tokyo Bay during the signing of the formal surrender by the Empire of Japan on Sept. 2.
Modern nuclear technology developed at the Idaho National Laboratory will enable the submarine to conduct its mission for 35 years before refueling.
The USS IDAHO Commissioning Committee is proud and honored that the engine room will be named after the Honorable Dirk Kempthorne, whose long list of public service accomplishments includes his leadership as chairman of the USS IDAHO Commissioning Advisory Board," the release said.
Here is a list of the successful completion of milestones for the future USS IDAHO:
• Received its official name in August 2015
• Keel laying: Aug. 24, 2020
• Christening: March 16, 2024
• Launched: Aug. 6, 2024
• Galley Grand Opening: Aug. 21, 2025
• Completion of Alpha Sea Trials: November 2025
• Delivery to the U.S. Navy: December 2025
• Commissioning into the U.S. Navy Fleet is scheduled for April 25, 2026