The U.S. Navy christened the USS Iowa at a ceremony in Groton, Connecticut. U.S. NAVY
THE WATCH STAFF
The United States christened its 24th Virginia-class nuclear powered fast-attack submarine in April 2025 at a ceremony at Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, Connecticut. The USS Iowa embarked for sea patrols after a ceremony attended by top naval officials and Iowa’s former first lady.
The submarine, which has been under construction and at sea trials since 2019, is 115 meters long and can operate faster than 25 knots. It has a crew of 135 and can dive to more than 243 meters, according to a U.S. Navy news release. Its nuclear reactor won’t require additional fuel for the planned life of the ship, which will reduce costs and increase the time it can spend operating beneath the waves. “In this coming year, this crew of proud American sailors will put this warship to sea and carry the name ‘Iowa’ to the far-flung corners of the globe, projecting combat power for decades to come,” said Adm. Darryl Caudle, U.S. Fleet Forces commander. “It is the fearless warriors before me that turn this piece of metal weighing almost 8,000 tons — with hundreds of miles of fiber, cable, and piping systems — into a combat ship, a warship designed to decisively win our nation’s battles. Your preparation and execution to get this ship to commissioning day is nothing short of amazing.”
Fast-attack submarines project power and forward presence, provide maritime security and deterrence and control the seas. Designed for a wide array of operations — anti-submarine, anti-ship warfare, strike warfare, special operations, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, irregular warfare and mine warfare — the Iowa can land special operations forces ashore or launch Tomahawk missiles.
The Iowa will typically spend one to two months at sea before returning to Groton or resupplying at another port. The crew has exercise equipment and camaraderie activities like “burger days” to help morale, crew members told the Stamford Advocate, a Connecticut newspaper. “It’s really a unique job to have, where you are living, working, eating and sleeping with the people that you stand watch with every single day,” said Ensign Julia Panepinto, USS Iowa’s chief supply officer. “You have to have a really strong ability to cope and get along with people because, in the end, you’ve got to wake up and do it again the next day.”
At the ceremony, Christie Vilsack, the Iowa’s sponsor and former first lady of the state of Iowa, gave the crew the traditional order to “man our ship and bring her to life,” after which the Iowa’s Sailors responded “aye aye ma’am” before ceremonially running aboard the submarine, according to the news release. The Iowa’s commander, Gregory Coy, said the event was significant for both the life of a submarine and for the “amazing people from the Hawkeye State.”
“To the plank owners, the shipbuilders, the commissioning committee, and our Navy and Submarine Force leaders, this is your submarine … I am consistently humbled at what we have accomplished,” Coy added, according to the release. “Today, we become the ‘USS’ Iowa, and I intend to take her to the frontline, continuing the Navy’s overwhelming display of undersea dominance and lethality.”
Secretary of the Navy John Phelan said the Iowa presents an “opportunity to show Navy lethality and our unmatched undersea superiority.” Referencing the importance of the submarine base hosting the ceremony, Phelan continued: “It is an honor to commission the Navy’s newest nuclear-powered attack submarine, here at Groton, the submarine capital of the world … USS Iowa will make our fleet stronger and more lethal. As Iowa goes to sea, she does so with one mission: to ensure that America’s adversaries never doubt our resolve.”