USS North Carolina (SSN-777)

7925 tons submerged

115 m

10.4 m

9.5 m

134

A S9G reactor nozzle ring propeller

25 nodes

4 torpedo tubes, 12 vertical missile launch tubes

The USS North Carolina ( SSN -777 ) is a nuclear submarine of the United States Navy. It belongs to the Virginia class and was named after the U.S. state of North Carolina.

History

The construction of SSN -777 was approved in 1998 as the fourth boat in a four boats large building lot by the Congress of the United States. In May 2004, the boat was finally set at Kiel, Shipyard Newport News Shipbuilding was in Newport News, Virginia. The construction lasted about three years, in April 2007, the North Carolina could be left and baptized by the stack. Godmother was Mrs. Linda Anne Rich Bowman, the wife of four- star admiral retired Frank Bowman, former director of Naval Reactors, Division of the U.S. Navy for the construction of naval reactors.

Since the launching of the boat went through the final finish and then first test drives. According to the original plan, the boat was delivered in December 2007, the Navy and the end of April / beginning of May to enter service in 2008. Once at shipyard sea trials, however, problems with welds in non-nuclear piping systems had occurred in December 2007, this date was no longer tenable. In addition to North Carolina, where the problems were discovered, all her sister ships, three submarines of the Los Angeles-class, and four aircraft carriers were affected. Contrary to the regulations of the Navy several different, not approved, Füllmateriale were used for welds on pipes in non-nuclear workers at Newport News.

With about seven weeks late delivery took place at the Navy in late February 2008. The commissioning took place in Wilmington, North Carolina on May 3, 2008. Nine days later, the submarine reached its provisional basis, the Naval Submarine Base New London. The North Carolina left the base early in July 2010 and reached her new home port, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii in November 2010.