USS Columbia (SSN-771)

USS Columbia (SSN-771), is the 21st flight III, or Improved (688i) Los Angeles-class attack submarine, and is the eighth vessel of the United States Navy to bear that name. The earlier Columbia's were given their names for differing reasons; SSN-771 was specifically named in honor of Columbia, South Carolina, Columbia, Missouri, and Columbia, Illinois.

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

USS Columbia (SSN-771)

History
United States
Name:	USS Columbia
Namesake:	Cities of Columbia, South Carolina, Columbia, Missouri, and Columbia, Illinois
Awarded:	14 December 1988
Builder:	General Dynamics Electric Boat
Laid down:	21 April 1993
Launched:	24 September 1994
Sponsored by:	Hillary Clinton
Christened:	24 September 1994
Completed:	24 September 1994
Commissioned:	9 October 1995
Homeport:	Pearl Harbor
Motto:	Preserving Freedom On The Seas
Status:	in active service
Badge:
General characteristics
Class and type:	Los Angeles-class submarine
Displacement:	6,000 long tons (6,096 t) light 6,927 long tons (7,038 t) full 927 long tons (942 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:	S6G nuclear reactor
Speed:	Surface: About 15 knots. Submerged: About 32 knots.
Complement:	12 officers, 110 men
Armament:	4 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes 12 x Vertical Launch Missile Tubes

The contract to build Columbia was awarded to the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corporation in Groton, Connecticut on 14 December 1988 and her keel was laid down on 21 April 1993. She was the 33rd Los Angeles class built by EB, and was launched on 24 September 1994 with the slide down a 1300-foot wooden ramp, the last American submarine to do so, giving her the title of "The Last Slider."

Columbia was sponsored by Hillary Clinton, and commissioned on 9 October 1995, with Commander Dale Govan in command.

Another U.S. sub sharing the same name

Although no decommissioning date has been announced for this Columbia, it has been announced that the lead ship of the Ohio-class replacement ballistic missile submarines, will also be named Columbia (SSBN-826), though named for District of Columbia, and is scheduled to begin construction in 2021 and enter service in 2031.

References

[1]

1. USS Columbia (SSN 771) http://navysite.de/ssn/ssn771.htm

This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain.