Huntington Ingalls Industries initially delivered the USS New Jersey fast attack submarine to the Navy in 2024—then quickly took it back for a “post-shakedown availability.”

Two years ago, the Iowa-class battleship USS New Jersey (BB-62) underwent a $10 million dry-docking overhaul at the Philadelphia Navy Yard to ensure the historic warship would be preserved as a floating museum for decades to come. Although many battleship enthusiasts yearn for the naval behemoths to return in some form—with dubious strategic merit—that particular USS New Jersey will never return to service.

However, another US Navy vessel named for the Garden State could soon be patrolling the world’s oceans.

Last week, Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Newport News Shipbuilding division confirmed that the Block IV Virginia-class fast attack submarine USS New Jersey (SSN-796) had completed its post-shakedown availability (PSA) work and had been redelivered to the US Navy on Friday. The PSA is typically carried out after the initial handover from a shipbuilder to the US Navy. This included maintenance on the submarine, as well as the integration of updates to the combat systems and electronic upgrades.

“Maintaining our nation’s undersea maritime supremacy is strengthened by the redelivery of USS New Jersey,” said Jason Ward, NNS vice president of new construction submarine programs. “Our combined NNS-Navy team is focused on the mission and understands the importance of getting this submarine to the fleet.”

The redelivery of SSN-796 comes nearly two years after the boat was delivered to the US Navy on April 24, 2024. USS New Jersey was subsequently commissioned on September 14, 2024, and has been undergoing sea trials and a shakedown.

“In US naval practice, post-shakedown availability, or PSA, is the scheduled yard period that follows the initial delivery and early trials of a newly built warship,” Army Recognition explained. “It is intended to correct deficiencies identified during the first phase of operation, complete technical refinements, and incorporate maintenance or system adjustments before the platform enters a more regular deployment cycle.”

However, this is still a routine part of the process meant to ensure the boat is close to mission readiness for sustained fleet operations.

About the Block IV Virginia-Class Submarine

• Year Introduced: 2004
• Number Built: 5 (24 in overall Virginia class, 69 planned)
• Length: 377 ft (115 m)
• Beam (Width): 34 ft (10.4 m)
• Displacement: 7,800 tons
• Propulsion: S9G nuclear reactor; auxiliary diesel engine
• Top Speed: 25 knots (28.8 mph, 46 km/h)
• Range: Unlimited (except by provisions)
• Armaments: 12 VLS tubes, four 21-inch (530mm) torpedo tubes for Mk-48 torpedoes; BGM-109 Tomahawk missiles
• Crew: 135 (15 officers, 120 enlisted)

The fifth Block IV Virginia-class submarine, USS New Jersey, is also the first US Navy attack submarine designed with modifications for gender integration.

The boats of Block IV were designed to reduce the total ownership costs of the submarines from the preceding Block III models. That included a reduced maintenance schedule that reduced major depot maintenance periods from four to three, allowing for a total of 15 deployments compared to 14 in the previous blocks. 

SSN-796 Will Be the Third USS New Jersey

SSN-796 is just the third US Navy vessel to be named for the Garden State—and in an ironic twist, she is also the second New Jersey from a Virginia class, as the first USS New Jersey (BB-16) was the fourth of five Virginia-class battleships. BB-16 was laid down at the Fore River Shipbuilding Company in Quincy, Massachusetts, in May 1902, launched in November 1904, and commissioned into the fleet in May 1906. That battleship was armed with an offensive battery of four 12-inch (305 mm) guns and eight 8-inch (203 mm) guns, and she was capable of a top speed of 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph).

BB-16 joined the famous Great White Fleet in its circumnavigation of the globe and, during the First World War, served as a training ship before being tasked with transporting US servicemen back from Europe. The first USS New Jersey was sunk during bombing tests in 1923.

The second USS New Jersey (BB-62) was commissioned in 1943 and served with distinction in the Pacific during World War II. She was decommissioned in 1948, but later recommissioned three times: in the 1950s during the Korean War, briefly during the late 1960s, and in the 1980s as part of President Ronald Reagan’s naval buildup. She was decommissioned for the final time in 1991 and has been preserved as a museum ship in Camden, New Jersey.

About the Author: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu has contributed to dozens of newspapers, magazines and websites over a 30-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a contributing writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org.

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