The Virginia-class submarine John Warner (SSN 785) was launched into the James River on Sept. 10 at the Huntington Ingalls Industries’Newport News Shipbuilding division, kicking off the final outfitting, testing and crew certification phase of construction prior to sea trials next year.
John Warner will be the sixth Virginia-class submarine to be delivered to the U.S. Navy by Newport News. Since construction began in 2010, nearly 4,000 shipbuilders have worked on Warner. The submarine, the first Virginia-class submarine to be named for a person, is on schedule to be delivered to the U.S. Navy in 2015.
Once floating, the approximately 7,800-ton submarine was moved with the help of three tugboats to the shipyard’s submarine pier, where final outfitting, testing and crew certification will take place over the next six months. [mappress] Press Release, September 18, 2014