USS Albany (SSN-753)

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

USS Albany (SSN-753) is a Los Angeles-class submarine, the fifth ship of the United States Navy to be named for Albany, New York. The contract to build her was awarded to Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company in Newport News, Virginia, on 29 November 1983 and her keel was laid down on 22 April 1985. She was launched on 13 June 1987 sponsored by Nancy M. Kissinger, wife of Henry Kissinger, and was commissioned on 7 April 1990 with Commander Darl R. Anderson in command.

USS Albany (SSN-753)

USS Albany underway
History
United States
Namesake	The City of Albany, New York
Awarded	29 November 1983
Builder	Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company
Laid down	22 April 1985
Launched	13 June 1987
Sponsored by	Mrs. Nancy M. Kissinger
Commissioned	7 April 1990
Homeport	Norfolk, Virginia
Motto	Still Making History
Status	Ship in active service
Badge
General characteristics
Class and type	Los Angeles-class submarine
Displacement	5,746 long tons (5,838 t) light 6,148 long tons (6,247 t) full 402 long tons (408 t) dead
Length	110.3 m (361 ft 11 in)
Beam	10 m (32 ft 10 in)
Draft	9.4 m (30 ft 10 in)
Propulsion	1 × S6G PWR nuclear reactor with D2W core (165 MW), HEU 93.5%[1][2] 2 × steam turbines (33,500) shp 1 × shaft 1 × secondary propulsion motor 325 hp (242 kW)
Complement	15 officers, 98 men
Armament	4 21 in (533 mm) bow tubes, 10 Mk48 ADCAP torpedo reloads, Tomahawk land attack missile block 3 SLCM range 1,700 nmi (3,148 km; 1,956 mi), Harpoon anti–surface ship missile range 70 nmi (130 km; 81 mi), mine laying Mk67 mobile mine & Mk60 captor mines

Albany was the last US submarine built via the traditional "keel up" ship construction method.^{[citation needed]} Thus, it was the last submarine to "launch" down the shipway.

Albany and USS Topeka, differ from other members of the Los Angeles class as their pressure hulls were partially manufactured using stronger HY-100 steel rather than the HY-80 steel used in the manufacturing of all other Los Angeles-class submarines. This was done to test construction methods using this steel, which would later be employed in the assembly of the new Seawolf-class submarines.^[3]

On 30 July 2004 Albany returned to Norfolk, Virginia, after a six-month deployment that began in the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, then proceeded to the Mediterranean Sea for a NATO exercise, Operation "MEDSHARK/Majestic Eagle."

On 14 May 2022 Albany returned to Norfolk after a six-month deployment.^[4]

Citations

1. "International Panel on Fissile Materials". fissilematerials.org. 10 April 2020. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
2. "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 27 February 2022.
3. Baker 1998, p. 1009.
4. "USS Albany Returns to Norfolk".

References

• Baker, A.D. (1998). The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World 1998–1999. Annapolis, Maryland, USA: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-111-4.
• Miller, David (2002). The Illustrated Directory of Submarines of the World. Motor Books International. ISBN 0-7603-1345-8.

This article includes information collected from the public domain sources Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships and Naval Vessel Register.