The Navy’s newest fast-attack submarine, USS South Dakota (SSN 790), will be commissioned at Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, CT, Feb. 2. Designed to operate in both coastal and deep-ocean environments, it’ll be the 17th Virginia-class submarine to join the fleet.
South Dakota will be the third U.S. Navy ship, but first submarine, to be commissioned bearing the name “South Dakota.” The first USS South Dakota (ACR9/CA 9) was a Pennsylvania-class armored cruiser and launched in 1904. Assigned to the Armored Cruiser Squadron, Pacific Fleet, South Dakota cruised off the west coast of the United States through August 1908. She was then sent on a cruise to Samoa and later operated in Central and South American Waters. She returned home in 1912 and was placed in reserve at Puget Sound Navy Yard.
The second USS South Dakota (BB 57) was commissioned March 1942 and assigned to Task Force 16 centered on the aircraft carrier USS ENTERPRISE (CV 6). South Dakota conducted blockade operations against Japanese forces approaching Guadalcanal, where they engaged Japanese carrier forces in the Battle of Santa Cruz. She saw action in the Battle of Savo Island, Battle of
Philippine Sea, Okinawa, Iwo Jima and other Japanese strongholds earning 13 battle stars.
South Dakota will have a broad range of capabilities, including anti-submarine warfare; antisurface ship warfare; strike warfare; special operation forces support; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; irregular warfare; and mine warfare missions.
Additional public information about the commissioning, and events leading up to it, is available at the USS South Dakota Commissioning Committee site at https://ssn790.org/.
The ceremony will be streamed live at www.navy.mil/southdakotacommissioning.
