USS Indiana (SSN-789)

For other ships with the same name, see USS Indiana.

USS Indiana (SSN-789) is a nuclear powered United States Navy Virginia-class attack submarine, named for the State of Indiana. She is the sixteenth of her class and sixth of the significantly redesigned Block III, including a revised bow and VLS technology from the Ohio-class of guided missile submarines.^[12] Indiana was constructed by Huntington Ingalls Industries in partnership with the Electric Boat division of General Dynamics in Newport News, Virginia, with the initial contract awarded on 22 December 2008. Her keel was laid on 16 May 2015^[1] and she was launched on 9 June 2017.^[2] The boat was christened on 29 April 2017 and sponsored by Diane Donald, wife of Admiral Kirkland H. Donald, USN (ret).^[3] She was commissioned on 29 September 2018 at Port Canaveral, Florida.^[6][13]

USS Indiana (SSN-789)

USS Indiana (SSN-789) at her commissioning ceremony
History
United States
Name	USS Indiana
Namesake	State of Indiana
Awarded	22 December 2008
Builder	Newport News Shipbuilding
Laid down	16 May 2015[1]
Launched	9 June 2017[2]
Sponsored by	Diane Donald[3]
Christened	29 April 2017[4]
Acquired	25 June 2018[5]
Commissioned	29 September 2018[6]
Homeport	Groton, Connecticut
Motto	"Silent Victors"
Status	Active Service
General characteristics
Class and type	Virginia-class submarine
Displacement	7800 tons light, 7800 tons full
Length	114.9 meters (377 feet)
Beam	10.3 meters (34 feet)
Propulsion	1 × S9G PWR nuclear reactor[7] 280,000 shp (210 MW), HEU 93%[8][9] 2 × steam turbines 40,000 shp (30 MW) 1 × single shaft pump-jet propulsor[7] 1 × secondary propulsion motor[7]
Speed	25 knots (46 km/h)[10]
Range	Essentially unlimited distance; 33 years
Test depth	greater than 800 feet (240 meters)[11]
Complement	134 officers and crew[10]

Crest

The gold torch and stars are symbols from the State Flag of Indiana. The torch represents liberty and enlightenment; the rays surrounding the torch represent their far-reaching influence. The stars in a circle surrounding the torch signify each state to join the Union before Indiana, which was the 19th state. Two battleships, silhouetted above "SSN 789", represent BB-1 and BB-58, the ships that previously bore the Indiana namesake. Three gears and a head of wheat on either side of "SSN 789" represent the agriculture and industry native to the state of Indiana. The stylized "USS INDIANA" banner and the finish line racing flag pay tribute to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indy Car racing heritage of the State of Indiana. Silver and gold dolphins on either side of the head of wheat and gears represent the technical prowess of the enlisted and officer submarine community. The crest is encompassed by a gold outline of the state of Indiana.^[14]

References

•  This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain. The entry can be found here.

1. "News Shipbuilding Celebrates the Keel-Laying of Virginia-Class Submarine Indiana (SSN 789)" (Press release). Huntingdon Ingalls Industries. 18 May 2015. Archived from the original on 22 May 2015. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
2. "Huntington Ingalls Industries Launches Virginia-Class Submarine Indiana (SSN 789)" (Press release). Huntingdon Ingalls Industries. 9 June 2017. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
3. "Navy's Newest Attack Submarine Named Indiana". indystar.com. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
4. "Huntington Ingalls Industries Christens Virginia-Class Submarine Indiana at Newport News Shipbuilding" (Press release). Huntingdon Ingalls Industries. 29 April 2017. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
5. "Future USS Indiana Delivered to Navy" (Press release). United States Navy. 26 June 2018. NNS180626-08. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
6. "USS Indiana Brought to Life, Commissioned in Port Canaveral" (Press release). United States Navy. 1 October 2018. NNS181001-08. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
7. Ragheb, Magdi (9 September 2011), Tsvetkov, Pavel (ed.), "Nuclear Naval Propulsion", Nuclear Power - Deployment, Operation and Sustainability, ISBN 978-953-307-474-0
8. "Validation of the Use of Low Enriched Uranium as a Replacement for Highly Enriched Uranium in US Submarine Reactors" (PDF). dspace.mit.edu. June 2015. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
9. "US study of reactor and fuel types to enable naval reactors to shift from HEU fuel". fissilematerials.org. 10 April 2020. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
10. "The US Navy – Fact File". Archived from the original on 3 July 2007. Retrieved 5 July 2007.
11. GlobalSecurity.org
12. "Virginia Block III: The Revised Bow". Retrieved 20 May 2008.
13. "Navy commissions USS Indiana". WTHR. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
14. "Crest – USS Indiana (SSN 789) Commissioning Committee". ussindiana.org. Retrieved 3 October 2020.