Important Battle News

A team of researchers led by NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries have discovered two significant vessels from World War II’s Battle of the Atlantic. The German U-boat 576 and the freighter Bluefields were found approximately 30 miles off the coast of North Carolina. Lost for more than 70 years, the discovery of the two vessels, in an area known as the Graveyard of the Atlantic, is a rare window into a historic military battle and the underwater battlefield landscape of WWII.

Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) Donald C. Winter announced Jan. 30 the names of three Virginia class submarines -- the Missouri, California and Mississippi. The selection of Missouri honors the continuous support of the military by the people of the "Show Me State," and its leaders. Designated SSN 780, Missouri is the fifth ship of the United States Navy to be named in honor of the U.S. state. The last Missouri (BB 63), a U.S. Navy battleship, saw action in World War II, Korean War and the 1991 Gulf War. Missouri was also the site where Fleet Adm. Chester Nimitz and Gen. Douglas MacArthur, and many other U.S. and Allied officers, accepted the unconditional surrender of the Japanese at the end of World War II on Sept. 2, 1945.

Northrop Grumman Newport News (NGNN) celebrated a key milestone on USS Texas (SSN 775), with a ceremony marking the pressure hull being welded completely closed. This event, referred to as Pressure Hull Complete, is a significant step toward the completion and commissioning of the ship. With 81 percent of the construction work complete, Capt. NNGN is teamed with General Dynamics Electric Boat to build Virginia-class submarines. Each shipbuilder constructs sections of the ship, while final assembly, outfitting, test and delivery are alternated between them. Texas is the lead ship for NGNN under the co-production plan, and will be assembled and delivered at its facility in Newport News, Va., in 2005.

The Navy’s newest attack submarine, North Carolina, will be christened Saturday, April 21, during an 11 a.m. EDT ceremony at Northrop Grumman Newport News Shipyard, Newport News, Va. The fourth submarine of the Virginia class, SSN 777 will bear the name North Carolina to honor the Tar Heel State. The submarine will be the fourth ship of the U.S. Navy to bear the name North Carolina. The first was a 74-gun ship-of-the-line that served from 1820 to 1836. The second North Carolina was a Tennessee-class armored cruiser that was also built at the Newport News shipyard and served from 1908 to 1921. The third North Carolina was the first of the Navy's modern battleships, serving from 1940 to 1947, earning 12 battle stars for service during World War II.