The U.S. Navy announced today that its next Virginia-class, nuclear-powered submarine, SSN-812, will be named USS Baltimore, with Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks serving as the vessel’s sponsor. During a ceremony aboard the historic USS Constellation in Baltimore Harbor, Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro revealed the submarine’s name, highlighting Hicks’ deep-rooted family connection to the submarine community.
The USS Baltimore will be a Block V submarine, featuring advanced capabilities, including enhanced stealth, endurance, and firepower. Equipped with the Virginia payload module, it will carry 28 Tomahawk missiles and have a crew of 132. Hicks emphasized the submarine’s role in deterrence, describing it as part of the Navy’s “unseen advantage.”–News Desk