Future USS IDAHO Submarine Completes Alpha Sea Trials

Tue Nov 11th, 2025

The future USS IDAHO SSN 799 is a Virginia Class, nuclear powered, fast attack submarine currently undergoing testing in Groton, Connecticut. The submarine is scheduled to be commissioned next year. Once commissioned, the ship will sail the world for the next 30-plus years, pulling into numerous ports and hosting heads of state and dignitaries.

After successfully completing previous milestones, the future USS IDAHO recently achieved its next major milestone, Alpha Sea Trials, where it went to sea for the first time and successfully completed a rigorous series of tests to demonstrate its capability to carry out its U.S. Navy missions once the submarine is commissioned; that commissioning is anticipated to take place in the Spring of 2026. In the meantime, the crew will undertake additional testing.

Meanwhile, the Idaho Public Television documentary America’s Sagebrush Navy debuts this evening, (Mon) at 8:00 p.m. Pacific Time. The film documents Idaho’s history and major contribution in the development of Naval Nuclear Propulsion.

In the late 1940’s, Captain Hyman G. Rickover oversaw the creation of three prototype reactors in Idaho. Those reactors would be the test bed for the world’s first nuclear submarine and aircraft carrier. America’s Sagebrush Navy tells the story of the creation of the Nuclear Navy and how it changed America’s influence on the world stage.