ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - The U.S. Navy’s newest nuclear-powered attack submarine was named U.S.S. Atlanta.

The announcement was made Wednesday morning by U.S. Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum.

SSN 813 is a Virginia-class nuclear powered attack submarine. A total of 22 Virginia-class submarines have been commissioned to date, and are designed to replace Los Angeles class submarines as they retire.

The ship’s name is in honor of the city of Atlanta and the crews of the five previous Navy vessels named Atlanta, Navy officials said.

Five U.S. Navy ships have been named after Georgia’s state capitol:

• USS Atlanta (1861), a Confederate ironclad converted from a blockade runner. It was named CSS Atlanta and captured by Union forces in 1863;
• USS Atlanta (1884), a cruiser launched in 1884 and decommissioned in 1912;
• USS Atlanta (CL-51), a light cruiser commissioned in 1941 and sunk in November 1942 at the Battle of Guadalcanal;
• USS Atlanta (CL-104 / IX-304), a light cruiser commissioned in 1944, served in World War II and in the 1960s was used as an explosives test ship; and
• USS Atlanta (SSN-712), a Los Angeles-class nuclear attack submarine commissioned 1982 and inactivated in 1999.

“The city of Atlanta shares a storied and historic relationship with our Navy,” Del Toro said. “Since the founding of our great nation, Atlantans from all walks of life have answered the call to service, including President Jimmy Carter, who helped advance our nuclear submarine program alongside Admiral Rickover, ‘the father of the nuclear Navy.’

“It has been 25 years since the Navy has had a ship named after the proud legacy of the city of Atlanta. Today, it is my honor and privilege to name the next Virginia-class submarine, SSN 813, USS Atlanta.”

Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms was named the ship’s sponsor at the naming ceremony.

“The ship’s sponsor fills a vital role throughout the life of a warship, serving as the bond between the ship, her crew, and the nation they serve,” said Del Toro. “I am honored that Mayor Bottoms accepted the invitation to serve as ship sponsor. As a leader and champion for the people of Atlanta, she represents the best of our nation, and I thank her for her lifelong commitment to our Navy, to our service men and women, and to the United States of America.”

The Navy has three classes of SSNs in service. Los Angeles-class (SSN 688) submarines are the backbone of the submarine force, with approximately 25 now in commission. They are equipped with 12 vertical launch system (VLS) tubes for firing Tomahawk cruise missiles.

The Navy also has three Seawolf-class submarines. The first of the class, USS Seawolf (SSN 21) was commissioned July 19, 1997. The Seawolf class has eight torpedo tubes and can hold up to 50 weapons in its torpedo room.

The third ship of the class, USS Jimmy Carter (SSN 23), has a hull section that provides for additional payloads for carrying out classified research and development and enhanced warfighting capabilities.

Carter, who turned 100 years old earlier this month, attended Georgia Southwestern College and the Georgia Institute of Technology before heading to the U.S. Naval Academy, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 1946. While serving in the Navy, he became a submariner and rose to the rank of lieutenant.

Carter is the nation’s only president in history to have qualified on a nuclear submarine.

On July 7, 1946, Carter married Rosalynn Smith. Seven years later, he resigned from the Navy and returned to Georgia. Carter was an active member of the community and eventually entered the political world in 1962, when he was elected to the Georgia Senate.

Attack submarines are designed to seek and destroy enemy submarines and surface ships; project power ashore with Tomahawk cruise missiles and special operation forces; carry out intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions; support battle group operations; and engage in mine warfare.

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