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.
More from Naval Warfare
-
![BMT and DNV partner to meet Australia’s heavy landing craft requirement]()
BMT and DNV partner to meet Australia’s heavy landing craft requirement
Under Project Land 8710 Phase 2, Australia has been seeking to acquire an undisclosed number of Littoral Manoeuvre Vessels to replace the Balikpapan-class. The programme has an estimated value of AU$1.4 billion (US$910 million), with IOC slated for 2032.
-
![Babcock to take over upkeep of Royal Navy Type-23 frigates]()
Babcock to take over upkeep of Royal Navy Type-23 frigates
The Royal Navy’s Type-23 Duke-class frigates for the UK Royal Navy were designed as anti-submarine warfare (ASW) ships but now have a multi-role function. Of the 16 Type 23s built, 12 remain in service with the Royal Navy and will be replaced by the Type-26 frigates before 2035.
-
![Austal completes autonomy trials with former Royal Australian Navy patrol boat]()
Austal completes autonomy trials with former Royal Australian Navy patrol boat
The work took place under the Patrol Boat Autonomy Trial (PBAT), which has been a collaboration between Austal, Greenroom Robotics, the Trusted Autonomous Systems Defence Cooperative Research Centre and the Royal Australian Navy’s (RAN) Warfare Innovation Navy Branch.
