US Navy's newest submarine named USS-Utah, first ship in 84 years

SALT LAKE CITY — The U.S. Navy's newest Virginia-class submarine will be christened the USS Utah (SSN-801) in Groton, Connecticut on Oct. 25. Approximately 3,000 people were invited to the christening, according to the USS Utah Commissioning Committee. Kelly Casaday, media representative for the committee, said other ceremonies celebrating the christening will begin on Oct. 23, recognizing the shipbuilders and crew who helped with the submarine's construction. The 377-foot submarine cost more than $3.5 billion, and will hold 15 officers as well as 120 Petty Officers and crew, Cassady said. The keel for USS Utah was laid in Sept. 2021 after being commissioned and named in 2016. Casadey said the COVID-19 pandemic delayed construction on the submarine. The submarine's primary missions include:

• Seeking and destroying enemy submarines and surface ships.
• Projecting power ashore with Tomahawk cruise missiles and Special Operations forces.
• Carrying out intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions.
• Supporting carrier battle group operations.
• Engaging in naval mine warfare.

While the ship will be christened this year, the USS Utah Commissioning Committee said the submarine would not be formally inducted into the fleet until 2026, allowing the USS Utah time to undergo sea trials. According to Naval History and Heritage Command, the tradition of christening a new ship dates back to the third millennium B.C. Modern ship christenings typically consist of a ceremonial bottle of champagne shattered against the bow as the ship slides into the water. The USS Utah Commissioning Committee reported the first U.S. Navy ship christened was the USS Constitution on Oct. 21, 1797.

History behind original USS Utah

Casaday said the first USS Utah was a dreadnought battleship (BB-31) commissioned in 1911. She served with distinction in both the Mexican American War and in World War I, serving as the Flagship of both the American Navy in Europe and of Battle Division 6. Following WWI, the USS Utah made its way to Pearl Harbor, where it was sunk by Japanese torpedoes on Dec. 7, 1941. Fifty-eight of her officers and crew died, with one posthumously receiving the Medal of Honor for his heroism. Since designating the original USS Utah as a war grave, no new ships were named USS Utah until 2016. According to Casaday, the Navy determined that it would better honor the original ship with a new warship in 2016.

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