John P Holland News

The U.S. Navy's next Virginia-class attack submarine will bear the name USS New Jersey, says AP reports. U.S. Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus hosted a ship-naming ceremony over the weekend in Jersey City, New Jersey, to announce that SSN 796, a Virginia-class attack submarine, will bear the name USS New Jersey. The vessel itself will be seaworthy by 2021, Mabus estimated. It is a nuclear-powered vessel that will never need refueling and should serve in the fleet for 40 years, Mabus said. "New Jersey has a long history in the creation of the modern day submarine," New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez said referencing John Philip Holland, the Irish engineer who designed and built the first submarines in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Two battleships have been named the USS New Jersey previously.

Today in U.S. Naval History - March 13 1895 - Award of first submarine building contract to John P. Holland Torpedo Boat Co. 1917 - Armed merchant ships authorized to take action against U-boats. 1959 - Naval Research Laboratory takes first ultraviolet pictures of sun. 1963 - USS Albany (CG-10) and aircraft from Navy Airborne Early Warning Squadron Four from Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico aid five ill crewmembers of Norwegian freighter Jotunfjell. For more information about naval history, visit the Naval History and Heritage Command website at history.navy.mil.

From the Navy News Service: 1895 - The first submarine building contract is awarded to John P. Holland Torpedo Boat Co. 1917 - Armed merchant ships are authorized to take action against U-boats. 1959 - The Naval Research Laboratory takes the first ultraviolet pictures of the sun. 1963 - USS Albany (CG 10) and aircraft from Navy Airborne Early Warning Squadron 4 from Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico, aid five ill crew members of Norwegian freighter Jotunfjell.   For more information about naval history, visit the Naval Historical Center Web site at www.history.navy.mil.

1895 - Award of first submarine building contract to John P. Holland Torpedo Boat Co. 1917 - Armed merchant ships authorized to take action against U-boats. 1959 - Naval Research Laboratory takes first ultraviolet pictures of sun. 1963 - USS Albany (CG-10) and aircraft from Navy Airborne Early Warning Squadron Four from Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico aid five ill crewmembers of Norwegian freighter Jotunfjell. (Source: Navy News Service)

From the Navy News Service 1895 - The first submarine building contract is awarded to John P. Holland Torpedo Boat Co. 1917 - Armed merchant ships are authorized to take action against U-boats. 1959 - The Naval Research Laboratory takes the first ultraviolet pictures of the sun. 1963 - USS Albany (CG 10) and aircraft from Navy Airborne Early Warning Squadron 4 from Roosevelt Roads, , aid five ill crew members of Norwegian freighter Jotunfjell.

From the Navy News Service 1895 - The first submarine building contract is awarded to John P. Holland Torpedo Boat Co. 1917 - Armed merchant ships are authorized to take action against U-boats. 1959 - The Naval Research Laboratory takes the first ultraviolet pictures of the sun. 1963 - USS Albany (CG 10) and aircraft from Navy Airborne Early Warning Squadron 4 from Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico, aid five ill crew members of Norwegian freighter Jotunfjell.

In 1932, after rusting in a public park for more than two decades, the U.S.S. Holland was cut up for scrap, a sad and ignoble end for the vessel hailed as the first modern submarine. Beyond sentiment, however, the Holland’s unseemly demise was a historical tragedy. With the ship destroyed and most of the plans used to build it scattered and lost, researchers long believed that the opportunity to study the innovative genius of the submarine and its inventor, John P. Holland, had disappeared forever. Seventy years later, however, thanks to the patient historical spadework of a devoted amateur historian and the magic of 3D digital design tools from IBM and Dassault Systemes, the Holland has come back to life in virtual reality.