USS Cheyenne (SSN-773)

For other ships with the same name, see USS Cheyenne.

USS Cheyenne (SSN-773)

USS Cheyenne pulling into port at Hawaii's Pearl Harbor in April 2003.
History
United States
Name	Cheyenne
Namesake	City of Cheyenne
Awarded	28 November 1989
Builder	Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company
Laid down	6 July 1992
Launched	16 April 1995
Sponsored by	Mrs. Ann Simpson, wife of Wyoming Senator Alan K. Simpson
Christened	1 April 1995
Commissioned	13 September 1996
Homeport	PNSY
Status	in active service
Badge
General characteristics
Class and type	Los Angeles-class submarine
Displacement	6,000 long tons (6,096 t) light 6,927 long tons (7,038 t) full 927 long tons (942 t) dead
Length	110.3 m (361 ft 11 in)
Beam	10 m (32 ft 10 in)
Draft	9.4 m (30 ft 10 in)
Propulsion	1 × S6G PWR nuclear reactor with D2W core (165 MW), HEU 93.5% [1] [2] 2 × steam turbines (33,500) shp 1 × shaft 1 × secondary propulsion motor 325 hp (242 kW)
Speed	25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph)+
Test depth	800 ft (244 m)+
Complement	12 officers, 98 men
Armament	4 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes 12 × vertical launch Tomahawk missiles

USS Cheyenne (SSN-773), the final Los Angeles-class submarine, is the third ship of the United States Navy to be named for Cheyenne, Wyoming. The contract to build her was awarded to Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company in Newport News, Virginia on 28 November 1989 and her keel was laid down on 6 July 1992. She was launched on 16 April 1995 sponsored by Mrs. Ann Simpson, wife of Wyoming Senator Alan K. Simpson, and commissioned on 13 September 1996, with Commander Peter H. Ozimik in command. Cheyenne transferred to her homeport of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in 1998.

Cheyenne served as a trials platform for flat-screen, interoperative sonar displays based on commercially available equipment.

Cheyenne was the first ship to launch Tomahawk missiles in Operation Iraqi Freedom ^[3] under the command of CDR Charles Doty. Cheyenne would go on to successfully launch her entire complement of Tomahawks, earning a "clean sweep" for combat actions in the final three months of a nine-month deployment. This dubbed her "First To Strike". Her motto is "Ride the Legend".

USS Cheyenne was the final Los Angeles–class submarine built. Following the construction of USS Cheyenne, Newport News began preparation for construction of the Virginia-class submarine.

History

Between 25 and 27 March 2006, a series of anti-submarine warfare exercises were held in Hawaiian waters that included USS Cheyenne; Carrier Strike Group Nine, the nuclear-powered attack submarines Seawolf, Greeneville, Tucson, and Pasadena, as well as land-based P-3 Orion aircraft from patrol squadrons VP-4, VP-9, and VP-47. ^{[4] [5]}

In June 2021, Cheyenne shifted her homeport from Pearl Harbor to Groton, CT, joining Submarine Squadron (SUBRON) 12. ^[6] Cheyenne moved to Naval Submarine Base New London in order to prepare for upcoming refueling and maintenance intended to extend the service life of the submarine by 10 years. ^[7]

USS Cheyenne enters the new Super Flood Bason for Portsmouth Naval Shipyard’s Dry Dock 1

Cheyenne arrived in November 2021 at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine to begin a service-life extension program (SLEP) expected to take 30 months and cost $315 million. ^[8] In December 2021, Submarine Squadron 2 was re-established at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and Cheyenne was transferred to this new command. ^[9] Cheyenne is the first of seven Los Angeles-class subs to undergo this SLEP ^[10] and was also the first vessel in April 2022 to dock in Portsmouth Naval Shipyard's newly improved Dry Dock 1 using the Super Flood Basin. ^[11]

In popular culture

• Cheyenne is the primary subject of the book SSN by Tom Clancy, battling the People's Liberation Army Navy in a fictional war over the Spratly Islands. She is also featured in the video game by Tom Clancy called SSN .
• In the 2000 novel Quicksilver by Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens, Cheyenne was ordered to fire a Tomahawk TLAM Block Four cruise missile, under manual control of Weapons Officer Lt. Miken Marano, at the River Entrance of the Pentagon.
• In To the Death by Patrick Robinson, Cheyenne is tasked with shadowing an Iranian Kilo on a path through the Mediterranean Sea.

References

1. "International Panel on Fissile Materials". fissilematerials.org. 10 April 2020. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
2. "Validation of the Use of Low Enriched Uranium as a Replacement for Highly Enriched Uranium in US Submarine Reactors" (PDF). dspace.mit.edu. June 2015. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
3. Rush, David (28 April 2003). "One of Navy's First Tomahawk Shooters of Operation Iraqi Freedom Returns to Pearl Harbor". United States Navy. Archived from the original on 7 August 2009.
4. Roache, Tim; Cook, Michael (17 March 2006). "Lincoln Carrier Strike Group Conducts Undersea Warfare Training". USS Abraham Lincoln Public Affairs. Retrieved 24 December 2010.
5. "Carrier Strike Group 9 Enters 7th Fleet AOR". USS Abraham Lincoln Public Affairs. 20 March 2006. Retrieved 24 December 2010.
6. "Cheyenne shifts homeport to Groton" (Press release). DVIDS. 28 June 2021. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
7. Katz, Justin (7 November 2018). "Caldwell: Los Angeles-class sub refueling will start with Cheyenne in 2023" (Press release). Retrieved 9 June 2024.
8. Lenahan, Ian (23 November 2021). "USS Cheyenne arrives at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard for $315 million in work" . Retrieved 9 June 2024.
9. "U.S. Navy Establishes Submarine Squadron Two at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard" (Press release). 10 December 2021. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
10. Karny, Matt (23 August 2022). "Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Completes USS Cheyenne Docking After P310 & P1074 Completion" (Press release). Retrieved 9 June 2024.
11. "PNS Cuts Ribbon For Super Flood Basin After Historic First Docking" (Press release). 6 May 2022. Retrieved 9 June 2024.

•  This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register , which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain .

External links

• "USS Cheyenne SSN-773 photo gallery". Maritimequest.