USS Minnesota Joins Fleet During Va. Ceremony
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — The USS Minnesota has joined the fleet as an active-duty Navy ship.
The nuclear-powered attack submarine was commissioned Saturday during a ceremony at Naval Station Norfolk.
It is the third time a Navy ship has been named Minnesota. The first USS Minnesota was a sailing steam frigate during the Civil War and the second was a battleship that was scrapped in 1924.
This winter, the Minnesota will move to its home port in Groton, Conn.
The sub can reach submerged speeds of more than 25 knots and stay submerged up to three months at a time.
Attack submarines are designed to fight enemy submarines and surface ships, and can also fire Tomahawk cruise missiles ashore. The Minnesota's torpedo room can also carry large numbers of special operations forces.
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