U.S. Navy Christens New USS IDAHO in Connecticut

Sat Mar 16th, 2024

KTVB

By Kara Valentine

The U.S. Navy's newest warship, the future USS Idaho (SSN 799), was formally christened and named on Saturday, March 16 in Connecticut.

The USS Idaho title has been held by four naval vessels in the past, enduring two world wars and earning seven battle stars.

After Saturday's christening, a fifth naval vessel now boasts the name of the USS Idaho, in hopes of joining the United States Navy fleet.

The christening occurred on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at General Dynamics Electric Boat shipyard in Groton, Connecticut.

At the ceremony, ship sponsor Terry Stackley christened the submarine in the traditional manner with a bottle. However, the USS Idaho Commissioning Committee said that, in unique Idaho fashion, rather than breaking a bottle of champagne on the boat's hull, Stackley christened the ship with a bottle of water - but not just any water.

The water is from four of Idaho's lakes: Lake Pend Oreille, Payette Lake, Henrys Lake and Redfish Lake.

"This is the first U.S. Navy warship to bear the Idaho name in more than 100 years. She was last christened as a battleship in June 1917. It's been over 100 years since there's been a USS Idaho. That was a battleship. Battleship 42 in WWII. Now we have the great honor of having an additional ship named USS Idaho SSN 799. States that have the honor of having a namesake ship, then support the ship, the crew, the families of the crew to increase habitability aboard that ship...is really quite stark," said USS Commissioning Committe advisory board member and former Idaho Governor Dirk Kempthorne.

"These wonderful sailors are going to remain submerged for three to six months at a time, often without the use of their smartphones. And so, if we can make it so that when they step aboard their ship, it looks like Idaho and reminds them of the greatness that's here...that's tremendous."

THE USS IDAHO CHRISTENING

The christening occurred in Groton, Connecticut on March 16.

Terry Stackley is the USS Idaho ship sponsor assigned to christening the ship.

Stackley has had some affiliation with the Navy or since childhood. Her father worked in private shipyards across the eastern seaboard, even serving at Electric Boat Groton in the 1960s, according to the USS Idaho Commissioning Committee.

Her husband, Sean, served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition from 2008 to 2017. Stackley intends to serve the USS Idaho crew throughout the submarine's life serving the U.S. Navy.

The USS Idaho Commissioning Committee and the U.S. Navy developed a partnership when the new warship was to become a future USS Idaho.

The advisory board is chaired by former Idaho Governor Dirk Kempthorne. The committee members include Idaho business leaders and former military members, among other Idahoans, the commissioning committee stated.

ABOUT THE VESSEL

The name USS Idaho once belonged to the fastest warship in WWII.

The $2.6 billion Virginia-class submarine is the 26th vessel of its kind to be built.

The ship is 377 feet long, weighs 8,000 tons, is four stories tall and four stories wide.

She is designed to host a co-ed crew, two Virginia payload tubes and tomahawk missiles. The ship has a propeller (not a propeller, the committee noted) which was designed in Lake Pend Oreille. It will also feature a telescopic photonix mast capable of being controlled by an XBox controller.

“It’s beyond goalpost to goalpost,” Kempthorne said. “It’s touching the stands...to see it is breathtaking.” “It is Star Wars.”

USS IDAHO HISTORY

Four naval vessels have carried the name, dating back to 1863.

Two world wars, four naval vessels, seven battle stars and 78 years later - the USS Idaho is set to be commissioned once again.

The U.S. Navy's newest Virginia-class submarine will be formally christened and named the USS Idaho this weekend in Connecticut. However, this won't be the first time. Four naval vessels have carried the name Idaho, going back more than a century and a half.

The Gem State's initial tour with the U.S. Navy began before Idaho even became a state in the union.

The USS Idaho, named for the territory in 1863, was a wooden steam sloop commissioned on April 2, 1866. It set to sea under U.S. Navy Captain John Worden.

At first, the Navy didn't want the USS Idaho, claiming she wasn't fast enough. However, when the ship's sails were added, it changed her destiny. One passage in particular caught the U.S. Navy's attention. It was on a voyage to Japan in 1868 when the USS Idaho reached speeds of more than 18 knots, making her one of the fastest sailing ships at the time.

Unfortunately, on the trip back across the Pacific in 1869, the USS Idaho's sails and hull were damaged by a typhoon. She remained in Japan until being decommissioned in 1873.

It wasn't until 35 years later, on April 1, 1908, that a USS Idaho was commissioned once again. But this time, as a Mississippi class battleship under Captain James Meredith. During the USS Idaho's second life, she spent time in Central America, England and France, before being sold to Greece in 1914.

The sale transitioned the ship into the third USS Idaho. The ship, a wooden motorboat, was assigned to patrol the Northeast shorelines of Philadelphia and New Jersey, where she only lasted one year, from 1917 to 1918.

In 1919, Idaho was revived once again. This time, as a battleship during WWI.

Originally part of the Pacific fleet, the fourth USS Idaho actually spent time at Pearl Harbor in 1940. However, on the fateful day of Dec. 7, 1941, when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, killing nearly 2,500 people, the USS Idaho was in Iceland. Two days later, the ship returned to the Pacific.

As the largest battleship on the water at the time, the USS Idaho also served in WWII, earning her seven battle stars.

USS Idaho played a significant role in WWII. She provided fire support at the Battle of Iwo Jima and was considered to have played a key part in the battle's success. In April 1945, she was assigned to a bombardment station off Okinawa, also providing major fire support for that invasion.

Later that year, in September, the USS Idaho crew celebrated the surrender of Japan in Tokyo Bay.

The fourth USS Idaho was decommissioned on July 3, 1946.

Unfortunately, there has not been a ship named after Idaho since.

WATCH PARTIES

Various locations around Idaho will host viewing parties of the USS Idaho christening.

"This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime event; to celebrate the naming of a navy ship for the great state of Idaho, to honor the service and sacrifice of our veterans, to recognize the incredible navy history and navy legacy our state has and to recognize the amazing contribution our state has made to the acoustic stealth and nuclear power technology of our submarine force," said Kempthorne.

The USS Idaho Commissioning Committee has arranged watch parties at various locations across the Gem State. Most watch parties are scheduled to occur later in the day after the christening ceremony has concluded; and will therefore feature replays of the event for a full day of celebration and gatherings for Idahoans.

Idaho watch party times and dates vary. Event times are scheduled for local time zones.

• Boise

  : 6 p.m. MDT, Saturday, March 16, at Sockeye Brewery, 3823 N. Garden Center Way

• Cascade

  : 4 p.m. MDT, Saturday, March 16, at American Legion, Post 60105 W. Mill St.

• Idaho Falls

  : 6 p.m. MDT, Saturday, March 16, at Museum of Idaho - Idaho Falls200 N Eastern Ave, Idaho Falls, ID 83402

• Meridian

  : 8 a.m. MDT, Saturday, March 16, at American Legion, Post 113, 22 W. Broadway Ave.

• Bayview

  : 10 a.m. PDT, Saturday, March 16, at Bayview Community Center, 20298 E. Perimeter Rd.

• Grangeville

  : 12 p.m. PDT, Monday, March 18, at Idaho County Veterans Outreach Community Center, 318 E. Main St

  .

• Lewiston

  : Time TBD, Tuesday, April 2, at Veterans of Foreign Wars, 1104 Warner Ave.

Watch live coverage of the entire event Saturday via KTVB.com, KTVB+ streaming app and on the KTVB YouTube channel.

EVENT ITINERARY

USS Idaho celebratory events are scheduled for Friday and Saturday.

Friday, March 15:

• 9 a.m. MDT, SUBVET Lunch with PCU IDAHO Crew at Groton Submarine Veteran Hall

• 9 a.m. MDT, Native American Blessing, members of three Idaho tribes will conduct a blessing ceremony near the BOW of USS IDAHO

2 p.m. MDT, Reception gathering 200+ Idaho dignitaries, retired admirals, corporate leaders, tribes, ships sponsor and PCU crew, at SUBFORCE Museum

Saturday, March 16:

• 8 a.m. MDT, Christening of the Future USS IDAHO SSN 799, Electric Boat Shipyard, Groton, CT (Main Event)

• 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. MDT, Electric Boat (EB) post-christening reception

• 4 p.m. MDT, reception at Mystic Marriott, where Idaho Governor Brad Little is expected to be present

WHAT IS NEXT FOR THE USS IDAHO?

There are 5 steps for a ship to become an official U.S. Navy warship.

There are five major steps that must take place in order for a ship to become a U.S. Navy warship and become a part of the U.S. Navy fleet. The christening is the third.

The process generally takes roughly five years.

The first is naming the ship, which occurred in 2015. The second is the keel-laying ceremony, which marks the beginning of construction, which occurred on Aug. 24, 2020, in Quonset Point, Rhode Island.

The third is the christening.

Following the christening, the ship begins the fourth step. The submarine will be put to the test, undergoing rigorous trials at sea to ensure it is capable and fit for duty. This step generally takes one year.

The final step to officially becoming part of the U.S. Navy fleet is acceptance. Upon successful completion of the rigorous series of tests, the vessel will be accepted by the U.S. Navy in a commissioning ceremony, where USS Idaho will assume an active role in the nation's military strategy.

For more information on the USS Idaho Commissioning Committee, visit the website here.