Article Posted on : - Nov 19, 2014

Virginia-class submarine John Warner (SSN 785). Photo: Huntington Ingalls Industries

NEWPORT NEWS, VIRGINIA (BNS): The Virginia-class submarine John Warner (SSN 785) was launched into the James River on September 10 at the company's Newport News Shipbuilding division, kicking off the final outfitting, testing and crew certification phase of construction prior to sea trials next year.

John Warner will be the sixth Virginia-class submarine to be delivered to the US Navy by Newport News. The submarine, the firstVirginia-class submarine to be named for a person, is on schedule to be delivered to the US Navy in 2015.

Once floating, the approximately 7,800-ton submarine was moved with the help of three tugboats to the shipyard's submarine pier, where final outfitting, testing and crew certification will take place over the next six months.

"Having the submarine in the water allows us to test the remaining systems and improves the fidelity of the training that we are doing in preparation for crew certification," said Cmdr. Dan Caldwell, the submarine's prospective commanding officer.

"The ship's launching is an important milestone that puts us one step closer to our ultimate goal of taking this ship out to sea."