Cmdr. Burt J. Canfield relieved Cmdr. Daniel B. Caldwell as commanding officer of the Virginia-class attack submarine USS John Warner (SSN 785) during a change of command ceremony held at Naval Station Norfolk, Va., Sept. 18.
The event was the ship’s first change of command since its commissioning on August 1, 2015 in its homeport at Naval Station Norfolk. The ship was the 12th Virginia-class attack submarine to join the Navy’s operating fleet, ready to fulfill its motto, “On a Mission to Protect Freedom.”
The ship’s namesake is John Warner, a five-term U.S. Senator from Virginia who also served as 61st Secretary of the Navy from 1972 to 1974. Warner is also the only Secretary of the Navy who served as both an enlisted man and an officer, in both the Navy and the Marine Corps.
The submarine is 377 feet long, has a 34-foot beam, and will be able to dive to depths greater than 800 feet and operate at speeds in excess of 25 knots submerged. It will operate for 33 years without ever refueling.
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Image: US Navy