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AMES, Iowa —The USS Iowa was the last United States battleship and was first launched in 1942 during WWII. It was de-commissioned in 1990, but now a 21st century version of the USS Iowa is about to be built.
The exact details on what the new USS Iowa will look like is still a secret, but it will be an upgraded version of the USS John Warner, which was commissioned last month.
The new 377-foot long submarine will be able to dive more than 800 feet and have the ability to operate for more than three decades without refueling.
“You would think a land locked state like Iowa so far from the water and so far from the sea wouldn't have the connections to the Navy that it has, but there are significant connections to the Navy,” said Capt. Ricks Polk, commanding officer for Iowa State University’s Naval ROTC program.
Polk said one of those connections includes Iowa-native Eugene Eli who is credited with the first shipboard aircraft takeoff and landing in 1911.
The U.S. Navy secretary will make the announcement about the new submarine Wednesday at ISU, a location chosen in part because it's the only university in the state with an NROTC program.
“To have a brand new submarine with all its technical capabilities to be named Iowa along with the historical USS Iowa, the battleship, the class, the first of its class is pretty exciting,” Polk said.
For some, the Navy choosing Iowa isn't all that unusual. For ISU NROTC student Virginia Boy, this might be her first look at the submarine she could be spending some of the most memorable days of her life in.
“They're coming here to announce it just as I’m coming through and I could go and be one of the first females on the USS Iowa. That’s a pretty extraordinary time,” Boy said.
The ship is expected to be built by the early 2020s. The cost for these types of ships, called the Virginia Class attack submarines, is about $2.7 billion.
The exact details on what the new USS Iowa will look like is still a secret, but it will be an upgraded version of the USS John Warner, which was commissioned last month.
The new 377-foot long submarine will be able to dive more than 800 feet and have the ability to operate for more than three decades without refueling.
“You would think a land locked state like Iowa so far from the water and so far from the sea wouldn't have the connections to the Navy that it has, but there are significant connections to the Navy,” said Capt. Ricks Polk, commanding officer for Iowa State University’s Naval ROTC program.
Polk said one of those connections includes Iowa-native Eugene Eli who is credited with the first shipboard aircraft takeoff and landing in 1911.
The U.S. Navy secretary will make the announcement about the new submarine Wednesday at ISU, a location chosen in part because it's the only university in the state with an NROTC program.
“To have a brand new submarine with all its technical capabilities to be named Iowa along with the historical USS Iowa, the battleship, the class, the first of its class is pretty exciting,” Polk said.
For some, the Navy choosing Iowa isn't all that unusual. For ISU NROTC student Virginia Boy, this might be her first look at the submarine she could be spending some of the most memorable days of her life in.
“They're coming here to announce it just as I’m coming through and I could go and be one of the first females on the USS Iowa. That’s a pretty extraordinary time,” Boy said.
The ship is expected to be built by the early 2020s. The cost for these types of ships, called the Virginia Class attack submarines, is about $2.7 billion.
http://www.kcci.com/news/21st-centur...built/35050178
And another article: http://www.desmoinesregister.com/sto...iowa/71451250/
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