BOSTON — The USS Massachusetts formally joined the Navy fleet on Saturday after a commissioning ceremony, making it the primary submarine named after the Bay State.
The most recent Virginia-class quick assault submarine, which may dive to depths better than 800 toes (240 meters), was christened on Could 6, 2023, by the ship’s sponsor, Sheryl Sandberg, the previous COO of Meta. That is the twenty fifth Virginia-Class submarine co-produced by Normal Dynamics Electrical Boat and Newport News Shipbuilding and the fifth U.S. Navy vessel named after Massachusetts.
“To have the ability to take a ship from new development and watch or not it’s constructed collectively by the ship yard, practice with our staff and convey into Boston Harbor for the primary time, it’s extremely wonderful,” stated the sub’s commanding officer, Mike Siedsma, a 21-year Navy veteran who has frolicked on 4 totally different courses of submarines. “I appeared on the historical past books. I do not suppose we have had a submarine in Boston Harbor since someday within the late ’80s or early ’90s.”
Siedsma didn’t say the place the sub — which value over $2.8 billion, weighs about 8,000 tons and may carry 24 Tomahawk cruise missiles — is headed. A U.S. submarine sank an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka earlier this month within the struggle with Iran.
“The geopolitical scenario may be very attention-grabbing,” Siedsma stated. “What’s vital to recollect is what we’re doing is proving the facility of america Navy.”
The crew of 147 additionally consists of 39 girls, 16 years after a ban on girls serving on submarines was lifted. The USS New Jersey, which was commissioned in 2024, was the primary sub designed and constructed with modifications for a gender-integrated crew.
“The ship is deliberately designed to be served on by each men and women. That’s fairly thrilling. Twenty 5 p.c of this crew is feminine,” Sandberg stated. “These sailors simply do not encourage me. They encourage each little lady on the market to consider that she may do something.”
The Navy stated that is the fifth vessel to be named after the state. The primary USS Massachusetts was a steamer in-built 1845 and the final was USS Massachusetts, BB 59, commissioned in 1942 as a South Dakota-class quick battleship. Most of its time was spent within the Pacific throughout World Struggle II.
For Sandberg, the commissioning additionally dropped at thoughts the position the state has performed within the founding of america and the way “individuals are nonetheless preventing for a similar freedoms that the unique colonists had been preventing for.”
Reporters touring the sub had been led previous the management room, down into the torpedo room and into the eating corridor. The ward room, the place officers eat, additionally includes a mug rack that includes wooden from counties in Massachusetts. It was donated by “This Previous Home,” the tv dwelling enchancment present.
“It was an unimaginable donation. Very nice connection to the state and the commonwealth,” Siedsma stated. “It is lovely.”
© Copyright 2026 Related Press. All rights reserved. This materials is probably not revealed, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
