Keel laid for USS Tang
General Dynamics Electric Boat welder Allison Fasulo (left) helps boat sponsor Mary 'Mimi' Donnelly (right) to weld her initials onto a steel plate at the USS Tang's keel laying ceremony. (Photo: General Dynamics Electric Boat)
The keel was laid for the 32nd Virginia-class submarine USS Tang on 17 August, a Block V variant of the type and the third boat with this name for the USN.
The USS Tang (SSN 805) is the third to be fitted with the Virginia Payload Module (VPM), four vertical payload tubes which extend the hull by 84ft, increasing length from 377ft to 460ft, and allows for improved weapons and deployment of UUVs.
VPMs increase Tomahawk strike capacity from 12 to 40 missiles per boat to maintain USN's undersea strike capacity with the expected retirement of the navy's four guided-missile submarines and provide future payload flexibility.
Construction started on the second Block V, USS Arizona (SSN 803), in December 2022 and the first Block V, USS Oklahoma (SSN 802), earlier this month. The keel for the third Block V, USN Barb (SSN 804), has yet to be laid down.
Related Articles
HII authenticates keel of Virginia-class attack submarine Oklahoma
The commissioning of USS Tang is likely to be in 2026-27.
The first of the previous boats with the name served in World War II, where it achieved one of the highest success rates in the USN, and the second served during the Vietnam War before joining the Turkish Navy.
The Virginia-class has a submerged displacement of 10,200t and measures 140m in length, with a beam of 10.36m and draft of 9.3m. Powered by a GE PWR S9G nuclear reactor and two 40,000hp (29.84MW) turbines, the submarines have an unlimited range and a maximum speed of at least 25kts.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Naval Warfare
-
![US Navy to acquire and test uncrewed surface vessel prototypes by the end of FY2026]()
US Navy to acquire and test uncrewed surface vessel prototypes by the end of FY2026
The new autonomous surface vessels are planned to be operationally fielded in FY2027, following the completion of on-water trials.
-
![Uncrewed fleets emerge as AUKUS nations’ answer to capability interval]()
Uncrewed fleets emerge as AUKUS nations’ answer to capability interval
While their multibillion-dollar nuclear submarine ambitions move forward at a glacial industrial pace, all three countries are making a swifter bet: fleets of uncrewed vessels that can be built, deployed and iterated in years rather than decades.
-
![UK’s $1 billion AUKUS support request signals strong ongoing US collaboration]()
UK’s $1 billion AUKUS support request signals strong ongoing US collaboration
The latest foreign military sales request from the UK has implications for the future of the programme and collaboration between the three nations.
