3 April 2026: April, folks, and the nice weather is here. Boats getting uncovered, bottoms scraped and painted with a fresh coat of antifouling and a shiny new coat of wax applied as we prepare for splash. And on the subject of splashing, and in keeping with our last offering, here's another new Navy vessel to add to our fleet.From Nationalinterest.org.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The new USS Massachusetts submarine
shares a name with a “lucky” battleship of World War II—and an exceptionally
unlucky one a half-century earlier.
In the 250-year history of the US Navy, eight warships have been named after the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts, including a topsail schooner, a sloop, a wooden steam, an iron
crew steamer, and two battleships. The eighth USS Massachusetts—the
seventh Block IV Virginia-class
fast attack submarine—was commissioned at a ceremony in Boston Harbor on Saturday.
“To the crew, the plankowners, the Iron Patriots of the USS Massachusetts,
we did it,” said Commander Michael Siedsma, commanding officer of the newly
commissioned nuclear-powered boat. “Your hard work and unshakable dedication
are evident. I am amazed and humbled by what we have accomplished.”
USS Massachusetts (SSN-798) could be described as a “team effort,”
with General Dynamics Electric Boat and HII-Newport News Shipbuilding each
contributing to her construction. Even so, the submarine’s delivery to the US
Navy was more than a year late—a reminder of the challenges the
service faces in maintaining a modern and capable fleet.
SSN-798 is the 25th submarine of the Virginia class and the 12th
boat delivered by NNS.
The new USS Massachusetts submarine
shares a name with a “lucky” battleship of World War II—and an exceptionally
unlucky one a half-century earlier.
In the 250-year history of the US Navy, eight warships have been named after the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts, including a topsail schooner, a sloop, a wooden steam, an iron
crew steamer, and two battleships. The eighth USS Massachusetts—the
seventh Block IV Virginia-class
fast attack submarine—was commissioned at a ceremony in Boston Harbor on Saturday.
“To the crew, the plankowners, the Iron Patriots of the USS Massachusetts,
we did it,” said Commander Michael Siedsma, commanding officer of the newly
commissioned nuclear-powered boat. “Your hard work and unshakable dedication
are evident. I am amazed and humbled by what we have accomplished.”
USS Massachusetts (SSN-798) could be described as a “team effort,”
with General Dynamics Electric Boat and HII-Newport News Shipbuilding each
contributing to her construction. Even so, the submarine’s delivery to the US
Navy was more than a year late—a reminder of the challenges the
service faces in maintaining a modern and capable fleet.
SSN-798 is the 25th submarine of the Virginia class and the 12th
boat delivered by NNS.
 |
| and yes, that is the newest and the oldest (USS Constitution) behind her |
“Massachusetts is playing an incredible role in our security,” said
Admiral William Houston, director of Naval Reactors, who highlighted the crew’s
hard work and the unit’s role in national defense on Saturday. “Your crew
represents the best that our Navy and our nation has. You train relentlessly to
bring this warship to life and earn the trust placed in you.”
The Virginia-Class Submarine’s
Specifications
- Year Introduced: 2004
- Number Built: 24 (69 planned)
- Length: 377 ft (115 m)
- Beam (Width): 34 ft (10.4 m)
- Displacement: 7,800 tons
- Propulsion: S9G nuclear reactor; auxiliary
diesel engine
- Top Speed: 25 knots (28.8 mph, 46 km/h)
- Range: Unlimited
- Armaments: 12 VLS tubes, four 21-inch
(530mm) torpedo tubes for Mk-48 torpedoes; BGM-109 Tomahawk missiles
- Crew: 135 (15 officers, 120 enlisted)
The Block IV boats incorporate design changes focused on reducing total
ownership cost. By making these smaller-scale design changes to extend the
component-level lifecycle of the submarine, the US Navy was able to increase
the rate of depot maintenance availability and the number of deployments. The
main improvement of the Block IV over the preceding Block III is the reduction
of major maintenance periods from 4 to 3, increasing each boat’s total time
available to be spent at sea.
Each of the Block IV boats can dive to more than 800 feet.
The Virginia-class boats are the US Navy’s primary attack
submarine for land, surface, and anti-submarine attack missions, and their
armaments include cruise missiles and torpedoes. Each is also equipped with
large lock-in/lock-out chambers that allow Navy SEALs to operate from the boat,
and plans call for using it to launch underwater drones. Instead of traditional
periscopes, this class of submarines uses two photonics masts that host
visible- and infrared-band digital cameras atop telescoping arms.
Two Battleships Have Been Named After
Massachusetts
Of the two battleships named for the state of Massachusetts, one—the South
Dakota-class USS Massachusetts (BB-59)—is fondly remembered for her meritorious
service. The other Massachusetts (BB-2) is a battleship that the US Navy probably
would rather forget altogether.
USS Massachusetts (BB-2)
USS Massachusetts (BB-2) was a battleship in name only, as she was
fitted with heavy armor and ordnance. However, the Indiana-class
pre-dreadnought had been designed for coastal defense, and her decks were not
safe from high waves on the open ocean!
USS Massachusetts (BB-2) was authorized in 1890 and commissioned
six years later, becoming the second “modern” battleship built for the US Navy.
In addition to barely being able to head out to sea, her turrets lacked
counterweights, and if both of the twin 13-inch guns were turned to one side,
she would list severely to that side. Similarly, the vessel’s main belt armor
was placed too low to be effective against enemy fire.
In addition to its poor design, the ship could be described as being
truly “unlucky.” During a training maneuver and gunnery practice, an explosion
in one of her 8-inch gun turrets killed nine sailors. She also ran aground
twice, requiring months of repairs each time.
She spent much of her service laid up in the reserve fleet and was
recommissioned to serve as a training ship for gun crews during World War I.
Arguably the ship’s most valuable service to the Navy came in 1921, when she
was scuttled in shallow water off Pensacola, Florida, and used as a target for
experimental artillery. The wreck remains a popular diving spot, regarded as
the oldest battleship still in existence in any form.
USS Massachusetts (BB-59)
The second USS Massachusetts (BB-59) is the
centerpiece of, and the largest vessel in, the museum fleet at Battleship Cove
in Fall River, Massachusetts. Known as “Big Mamie” to her crewmembers, she was
the seventh ship of the United States Navy to be named for the Bay State. Her
keel was laid down in July 1939, and she was launched in September 1941.
Commissioned in May 1942 with Captain Francis E. M. Whiting in command, the
battleship went on to receive a total of 11 battle stars for her service during
World War II.
Built by Bethlehem Steel Company in Quincy, Massachusetts, the warship
measures 681 feet in length with a 108-foot beam and weighs 35,000 tons. She is
representative of the South Dakota class of American
battleships that fought against Japan in World War II.
It has been reported that “Big Mamie” fired both the first US Navy’s
16-inch (406mm) guns for the first time during the war when the US battle wagon
fired at the Vichy French battleship Jean Bart during the Battle of Casablanca in November 1942 as
part of the Allied invasion of Vichy France-controlled North Africa during
Operation Torch. The warship also had the distinction of conducting the last
firing of 16-inch guns during World War II, when the warship targeted a
Japanese steel works facility in Hamamatsu just hours before the Japanese
surrender.
The ship earned the reputation “Work Horse of the Fleet.” Unlike her
cursed predecessor, the Massachusetts also acquired a reputation for
good luck; during the war, no US Navy personnel were ever killed in action on
board the warship. After the war, she was transferred to the reserve fleet, and
while plans were drawn up to convert the vessel into a guided missile
battleship, she was instead stricken from the Naval Vessel Register. A group of
her former crew successfully lobbied to have her preserved as a museum ship.
The newest USS Massachusetts will carry on the tradition of
BB-59—and hopefully have a more successful career than BB-2!
“Massachusetts is playing an incredible role in our security,” said
Admiral William Houston, director of Naval Reactors, who highlighted the crew’s
hard work and the unit’s role in national defense on Saturday. “Your crew
represents the best that our Navy and our nation has. You train relentlessly to
bring this warship to life and earn the trust placed in you.”
The Virginia-Class Submarine’s
Specifications
- Year Introduced: 2004
- Number Built: 24 (69 planned)
- Length: 377 ft (115 m)
- Beam (Width): 34 ft (10.4 m)
- Displacement: 7,800 tons
- Propulsion: S9G nuclear reactor; auxiliary
diesel engine
- Top Speed: 25 knots (28.8 mph, 46 km/h)
- Range: Unlimited
- Armaments: 12 VLS tubes, four 21-inch
(530mm) torpedo tubes for Mk-48 torpedoes; BGM-109 Tomahawk missiles
- Crew: 135 (15 officers, 120 enlisted)
The Block IV boats incorporate design changes focused on reducing total
ownership cost. By making these smaller-scale design changes to extend the
component-level lifecycle of the submarine, the US Navy was able to increase
the rate of depot maintenance availability and the number of deployments. The
main improvement of the Block IV over the preceding Block III is the reduction
of major maintenance periods from 4 to 3, increasing each boat’s total time
available to be spent at sea.
Each of the Block IV boats can dive to more than 800 feet.
The Virginia-class boats are the US Navy’s primary attack
submarine for land, surface, and anti-submarine attack missions, and their
armaments include cruise missiles and torpedoes. Each is also equipped with
large lock-in/lock-out chambers that allow Navy SEALs to operate from the boat,
and plans call for using it to launch underwater drones. Instead of traditional
periscopes, this class of submarines uses two photonics masts that host
visible- and infrared-band digital cameras atop telescoping arms.
Two Battleships Have Been Named After
Massachusetts
Of the two battleships named for the state of Massachusetts, one—the South
Dakota-class USS Massachusetts (BB-59)—is fondly remembered for her meritorious
service. The other Massachusetts (BB-2) is a battleship that the US Navy probably
would rather forget altogether.
USS Massachusetts (BB-2)
USS Massachusetts (BB-2) was a battleship in name only, as she was
fitted with heavy armor and ordnance. However, the Indiana-class
pre-dreadnought had been designed for coastal defense, and her decks were not
safe from high waves on the open ocean!
USS Massachusetts (BB-2) was authorized in 1890 and commissioned
six years later, becoming the second “modern” battleship built for the US Navy.
In addition to barely being able to head out to sea, her turrets lacked
counterweights, and if both of the twin 13-inch guns were turned to one side,
she would list severely to that side. Similarly, the vessel’s main belt armor
was placed too low to be effective against enemy fire.
In addition to its poor design, the ship could be described as being
truly “unlucky.” During a training maneuver and gunnery practice, an explosion
in one of her 8-inch gun turrets killed nine sailors. She also ran aground
twice, requiring months of repairs each time.
She spent much of her service laid up in the reserve fleet and was
recommissioned to serve as a training ship for gun crews during World War I.
Arguably the ship’s most valuable service to the Navy came in 1921, when she
was scuttled in shallow water off Pensacola, Florida, and used as a target for
experimental artillery. The wreck remains a popular diving spot, regarded as
the oldest battleship still in existence in any form.
USS Massachusetts (BB-59)
The second USS Massachusetts (BB-59) is the
centerpiece of, and the largest vessel in, the museum fleet at Battleship Cove
in Fall River, Massachusetts. Known as “Big Mamie” to her crewmembers, she was
the seventh ship of the United States Navy to be named for the Bay State. Her
keel was laid down in July 1939, and she was launched in September 1941.
Commissioned in May 1942 with Captain Francis E. M. Whiting in command, the
battleship went on to receive a total of 11 battle stars for her service during
World War II.
Built by Bethlehem Steel Company in Quincy, Massachusetts, the warship
measures 681 feet in length with a 108-foot beam and weighs 35,000 tons. She is
representative of the South Dakota class of American
battleships that fought against Japan in World War II.
It has been reported that “Big Mamie” fired both the first US Navy’s
16-inch (406mm) guns for the first time during the war when the US battle wagon
fired at the Vichy French battleship Jean Bart during the Battle of Casablanca in November 1942 as
part of the Allied invasion of Vichy France-controlled North Africa during
Operation Torch. The warship also had the distinction of conducting the last
firing of 16-inch guns during World War II, when the warship targeted a
Japanese steel works facility in Hamamatsu just hours before the Japanese
surrender.
The ship earned the reputation “Work Horse of the Fleet.” Unlike her
cursed predecessor, the Massachusetts also acquired a reputation for
good luck; during the war, no US Navy personnel were ever killed in action on
board the warship. After the war, she was transferred to the reserve fleet, and
while plans were drawn up to convert the vessel into a guided missile
battleship, she was instead stricken from the Naval Vessel Register. A group of
her former crew successfully lobbied to have her preserved as a museum ship.
The newest USS Massachusetts will carry on the tradition of
BB-59—and hopefully have a more successful career than BB-2!
~~~~~~~~~~~~
She is depicted, of course, in Boston Harbor with USS Constitution participating in the ceremony, as appropriate. The newest and the oldest commissioned ships in the fleet! It must have been a stirring sight!
Maritime Maunder want to wish everyone who celebrates, a most happy and blessed Easter and a pleasant week.
Until next time, stay safe.
Fair winds,
Old Salt
