The USS Iowa (SSN 797) was commissioned in a ceremony on Saturday at Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, Conn. It is the Navy’s first submarine to be named after the state of Iowa.

“This event is significant for both the life of a submarine and for the amazing people from the Hawkeye state,” said Cmdr. Gregory Coy, the Iowa’s commanding officer. “To the plank owners, the shipbuilders, the commissioning committee, and our Navy and Submarine Force leaders, this is your submarine.”

Christie Vilsack, Iowa’s sponsor and former First Lady of Iowa, gave the crew the traditional order to man the ship and bring her to life before the sailors ceremonially ran aboard the submarine.

Secretary of the Navy John Phelan attended the ceremony and praised the crew and the shipbuilders after a years-long process of commissioning SSN 797, a fast-attack nuclear powered submarine.

“It is an honor to commission the Navy’s newest nuclear-powered attack submarine, here at Groton, the submarine capital of the world,” Phelan said. “USS Iowa will make our fleet stronger and more lethal. As Iowa goes to sea, she does so with one mission: to ensure that America’s adversaries never doubt our resolve.”

According to a service news release, Iowa’s keel was laid in August 2019 and christened in June 2023. Iowa is the 24th Virginia-class submarine to be commissioned and was designed to accommodate female sailors.

The submarine has stealth and surveillance capabilities, as well as special warfare enhancements, to meet the Navy’s multimission requirements. It is 377 feet long, has a 34-foot beam, can dive to depths greater than 800 feet, and operate at speeds in excess of 25 knots.

“In this coming year, this crew of proud American sailors will put this warship to sea and carry the name ‘Iowa’ to the far-flung corners of the globe projecting combat power for decades to come,” said Adm. Daryl Caudle, U.S. Fleet Forces commander. “It is the fearless warriors before me that turn this piece of metal weighing almost 8,000 tons — with hundreds of miles of fiber, cable, and piping systems — into a combat ship, a warship designed to decisively win our nation’s battles. Your preparation and execution to get this ship to commissioning day is nothing short of amazing.”

The SSN 797 is the third naval vessel to bear the name, and joins the historic battleships that have long since been retired. The USS Iowa BB 61, a highly decorated WWII-era battleship (1943-1990), saw action in World War II, the Korean War and Gulf War. The first USS Iowa BB 4 (1897-1919) saw action in the Spanish-American War and World War I.

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