USS Alexandria (SSN-757)

For other ships with the same name, see USS Alexandria.
History
Name: USS Alexandria
Namesake: Alexandria, Virginia, and Alexandria, Louisiana
Awarded: 26 November 1984
Builder: General Dynamics Electric Boat
Laid down: 19 June 1987
Launched: 23 June 1990
Sponsored by: Mrs. Myrtle "Tookie" Clark [1]
Acquired: 13 June 1991
Commissioned: 29 June 1991
Homeport: San Diego, CA
Motto: Twice as Strong[2]
Status: in active service
Badge:
General characteristics
Class and type: Los Angeles-class submarine
Displacement:
Length: 362 ft (110 m)
Beam:   33 ft (10 m)
Draft:   31 ft (9 m)
Propulsion: One S6G reactor
Speed:
  • Surfaced: 20.28 kn (38 km/h; 23 mph)
  • Submerged: 20.28 kn (38 km/h; 23 mph)+ (official)[3]
  • 33 kn (61 km/h; 38 mph)+ (reported)[4][5]
Range: Refueling required after 30 years[6]
Endurance: Twice As Strong
Test depth: >757 ft (231 m)[2]
Complement: 12 officers, 98 men
Sensors and
processing systems:		 BQQ-10 passive sonar, BQS-15 detecting and ranging sonar, WLR-8 fire control radar receiver, WLR-9 acoustic receiver for detection of active search sonar and acoustic homingtorpedoes, BRD-7 radio direction finder[7]
Electronic warfare
& decoys:		 WLR-10 countermeasures set[7]
Armament: 4 21 in (533 mm) bow tubes, 10 Mk48 ADCAP torpedo reloads, Tomahawk land attack missile block 3 SLCM range 1,700 nmi (3,148 km; 1,956 mi), Harpoon anti–surface ship missile range 70 nmi (130 km; 81 mi), mine laying Mk67 mobile mine & Mk60 captor mines
Notes: The third ship of the United States Navy to be named for both Alexandria, Virginia, and Alexandria, Louisiana

USS Alexandria (SSN-757), a Los Angeles-class nuclear-powered attack submarine, is the third ship of the United States Navy to be named for both Alexandria, Virginia, and Alexandria, Louisiana.[2] She was laid down in 1987, launched three years later and commissioned in 1991. Alexandria has since taken part in a number of international exercises and has also been used as a location for the television series Stargate: Continuum, JAG and NCIS.

Construction

The contract to build her was awarded to the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corporation in Groton, Connecticut on 26 November 1984. Her keel was laid down on 19 June 1987.[8]

Pre-commissioning Unit

The history of the Alexandria as a U.S. Navy warship begins with the staffing of what is known as the Pre-commissioning Unit (PCU) Alexandria. CDR Wilbur Cooke was the Commanding Officer of the Unit. Construction delays necessitated the detachment of CDR Cooke on 6 October 1989, and the assignment of Commander Paul E. Normand in his place on 11 December 1989.[1]

Launch

The ship was launched on 23 June 1990, sponsored by Mrs. Myrtle "Tookie" Clark, wife of retired Vice Admiral Glenwood Clark, on 29 June 1991. Commander Normand remained in command.[1]

Sea trials

The Pre-commissioning Unit Alexandria was placed in service on 22 March 1991. A series of sea trials began shortly thereafter:[1]

Commissioning

USS Alexandria returns home to New London, CT.

USS Alexandria (SSN-757) was commissioned at submarine base New London on 29 June 1991, CDR Normand commanding, and given the motto "Twice as Strong" in honor of her two namesakes. Guest speakers at the ship commissioning ceremony were:[1]

Recent operations

Alexandria, together with the guided-missile cruiser USS Cowpens (CG-63), the frigate USS Gary (FFG-51), and P-3C Orion maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft, participated in Exercise Malabar 2004, a training exercise with the Indian Navy off the southwest coast of India that ended 11 October 2004.

Some scenes for the movie Stargate: Continuum take place on board Alexandria.[9] The then-captain of Alexandria, Cmdr. Mike Bernacchi, and members of his crew played themselves. The ship was also used as a filming location in the JAG / NCIS universe, although she was referred to there as the fictional USS Cathedral City.

USS Alexandria submerged after surfacing through 2 ft (61 cm) of ice during ICEX-07, a joint U.S. Navy/Royal Navy exercise.

In March 2007, Alexandria was participating in the Joint U.S. Navy/Royal Navy Ice Exercise 2007 (ICEX-2007), conducted in the Arctic Ocean with the Trafalgar-class submarine HMS Tireless (S88). The exercise took place on and under a drifting ice floe, about 180 nmi (333 km; 207 mi) off the north coast of Alaska. The two submarines were taking part in joint testing of submarine operability and tactical development in Arctic waters. On 21 March 2007, Tireless experienced an explosion of a self-contained oxygen generation candle. Tireless suffered only superficial damage, but two crew members were killed and one injured.[10]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Normand, USN, CDR Paul E. (8 April 1992). "Command History, 1988–1991, USS Alexandria (SSN 757)" (PDF). Director of Naval History. United States Navy. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 "USS Alexandria (SSN 757)". Submarines and Squadrons. Commander Submarine Group 2, Naval Submarine Base New London, United States Navy. 21 March 2007. Retrieved 6 December 2008.
  3. ↑ Naval Sea Systems Command, Public Affairs Office (30 July 2008). "Attack Submarines - SSN". U.S. Navy Fact Sheet. United States Navy. Retrieved 7 December 2008. General Characteristics, Los Angeles class ... Speed: 20+ knots (23+ miles per hour, 36.8 +km/h)
  4. ↑ Polmar, Norman; Moore, Kenneth J. (2003). Cold War Submarines:The Design and Construction of U.S. and Soviet Submarines. Dulles, VA: Brassey's Inc. p. 271. ISBN 1-57488-594-4.
  5. ↑ Mount, Mike (11 January 2005). "Officials: U.S. submarine hit undersea mountain". CNN Washington Bureau. CNN International. Retrieved 7 December 2008. The submarine was traveling in excess of 33 knots -- about 35 mph --when its nose hit the undersea formation head-on, officials said.
  6. ↑ Pike, John; Sherman, Robert (14 February 2000). "SSN-688 Los Angeles-class". Military Analysis Network - U.S. Navy Ships. Federation of American Scientists. Retrieved 7 December 2008. The 18 SSN-688 class submarines that will be refueled at their mid-life could make good candidates for a service life extension because they could operate for nearly 30 years after the refueling. After these submarines serve for 30 years, they could undergo a 2-year overhaul and serve for one more 10-year operating cycle, for a total service life of 42 years.
  7. 1 2 Polmar, Norman "The U. S. Navy Electronic Warfare (Part 1)" United States Naval Institute Proceedings October 1979 p.137
  8. ↑ "USS Alexandria (SSN 757)". Naval Vessel Register. NAVSEA Shipbuilding Support Office (NAVSHIPSO). 23 February 2005. Retrieved 18 April 2010.
  9. ↑ Barber, USNR, Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Barrie (18 April 2007). "Stars Film Movie Aboard USS Alexandria at the Polar Ice Pack". Navy.mil News. U.S. Fleet Forces Command, United States Navy. Retrieved 6 December 2008.
  10. ↑ "Royal Navy Submarine Incident Kills Two During Ice Exercise". Navy.mil News. United States Navy. 21 March 2007. Retrieved 6 December 2008.
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