BOSTON (AP) — The USS Massachusetts officially joined the Navy fleet on Saturday after a commissioning ceremony, making it the first submarine named after the Bay State.
The newest Virginia-class fast attack submarine, which can dive to depths greater than 800 feet (240 meters), was christened on May 6, 2023, by the ship’s sponsor, Sheryl Sandberg, former COO of Meta. This is the 25th Virginia-Class submarine co-produced by General Dynamics Electric Boat and Newport News Shipbuilding and the fifth U.S. Navy vessel named after Massachusetts.
“To be able to take a ship from new construction and watch it be built together by the ship yard, train with our team and bring into Boston Harbor for the first time, it’s amazing,” said the sub’s commanding officer, Mike Siedsma, a 21-year Navy vet. “I don’t think we’ve had a submarine in Boston Harbor since the late ’80s or early ’90s.”
Siedsma did not disclose the sub's future missions. A U.S. submarine recently sank an Iranian warship during increased tensions in the region.
“The geopolitical situation is very interesting,” Siedsma noted, reinforcing the strength of the United States Navy.”
The submarine's crew includes 147 specialists, among them 39 women, marking a significant advancement in gender integration following the lifting of a ban on women serving aboard submarines. “Twenty-five percent of this crew is female,” Sandberg declared, highlighting the importance of representation within the Navy.
The Navy also noted that this is the fifth vessel named after Massachusetts, dating back to the original USS Massachusetts, built in 1845. Each vessel has played its part in the historical narrative of American military endeavors.
Sandberg reflected on Massachusetts’s historical significance in the founding of the United States, stating, “People are still fighting for the same freedoms that the original colonists were fighting for.”
The commissioning ceremony highlighted the ship's features such as a dining hall adorned with wood from Massachusetts counties donated by “This Old House,” connecting the submarine back to its roots.
