US Navy’s Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS Missouri (SSN 780) is scheduled to arrive at its new homeport in Pearl Harbor this week, joining five sister boats already stationed on Hawaii.
In addition to becoming the sixth Virginia-class submarine at Pearl Harbor, Missouri will also join another navy vessel named after the midwestern US state.
The last USS Missouri, the legendary battleship, saw action in World War II, the Korean War and the Persian Gulf War, and the battleship was also the site where Fleet Adm. Chester Nimitz, Gen. Douglas MacArthur and many other US and Allied officers accepted the unconditional surrender the Japanese at the end of World War II.
The battleship is moored next to the sunken USS Arizona and serves as a memorial and museum ship.
The current USS Missouri has a crew of 140 ailors and officers.
At 377-feet long, Missouri is slightly longer than a football field. She has a 34-foot beam, will be able to dive to depths greater than 800 feet and will operate at speeds in excess of 25 knots submerged.
The Pacific Submarine Force, headquartered at Pearl Harbor, includes fast attack, ballistic missile, auxiliary submarines, submarine tenders, floating submarine docks, deep submergence vehicles and submarine rescue vehicles throughout the West Coast and Pacific.