The U.S. Navy’s 22nd Virginia-class submarine, Hyman G. Rickover (SSN 795), was christened July 31 at General Dynamics Electric Boat in Groton, Connecticut.

Like all Virginia-class submarines, SSN 795 was built by shipbuilders at Newport News Shipbuilding and Electric Boat as part of a teaming agreement. NNS President Jennifer Boykin attended the event and represented the thousands of NNS shipbuilders who worked to build the submarine.

“I’m very fortunate to get to see the responsibility, courage, determination and mastery that our shipbuilding team delivers every day. Throughout the pandemic, these patriots carry the weight of our nation’s defense on their shoulders, and this submarine is proof of their success,” she said.

During the ceremony, Sarah Greenert McNichol, the matron of honor and daughter of Ship’s Sponsor Darleen Greenert, broke the ceremonial bottle of sparkling wine across the submarine’s bow. Darleen Greenert is a Navy veteran and wife of former Chief of Naval Operations Jonathan Greenert.

SSN 795 is the second U.S. Navy submarine named for Adm. Hyman Rickover, who served for 63 years in the Navy and is credited with spurring the service to adopt nuclear propulsion after World War II. The first Hyman G. Rickover (SSN 709) was a Los Angeles-class submarine that was commissioned in 1984 and decommissioned in 2007.

Watch a video on MyNNS to hear from some of the NNS shipbuilders involved in SSN 795’s construction.