USS ''Alexandria'' (SSN-757), is a
nuclear-powered
Nuclear power is the use of nuclear reactions to produce electricity. Nuclear power can be obtained from nuclear fission, nuclear decay and nuclear fusion reactions. Presently, the vast majority of electricity from nuclear power is produced b ...
attack submarine
An attack submarine or hunter-killer submarine is a submarine specifically designed for the purpose of attacking and sinking other submarines, surface combatants and merchant vessels. In the Soviet and Russian navies they were and are called "mul ...
and the third vessel of the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
to be named for both
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Downto ...
, and
Alexandria, Louisiana
Alexandria is the ninth-largest city in the state of Louisiana and is the parish seat of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on the south bank of the Red River in almost the exact geographic center of the state. It is the prin ...
.
The contract to build her was awarded to the
Electric Boat
An electric boat is a powered watercraft driven by electric motors, which are powered by either on-board battery packs, solar panels or generators.
While a significant majority of water vessels are powered by diesel engines, with sail pow ...
Division of
General Dynamics
General Dynamics Corporation (GD) is an American publicly traded, aerospace and defense corporation headquartered in Reston, Virginia. As of 2020, it was the fifth-largest defense contractor in the world by arms sales, and 5th largest in the Uni ...
Corporation on 26 November 1984. Her
keel
The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element on a vessel. On some sailboats, it may have a hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose, as well. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in the construction of a ship, in Br ...
was laid down in
Groton, Connecticut
Groton is a town in New London County, Connecticut located on the Thames River. It is the home of General Dynamics Electric Boat, which is the major contractor for submarine work for the United States Navy. The Naval Submarine Base New London is ...
, on 19 June 1987.
She was
launched on 23 June 1990, sponsored by Mrs. Myrtle "Tookie" Clark, wife of
Vice Admiral Glenwood Clark (ret.), and commissioned on 29 June 1991.
''Alexandria'' was placed in service on 22 March 1991. A series of sea trials began 16 April and were completed 4 June.
Service history
''Alexandria'', together with the guided-missile
cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several roles.
The term "cruiser", which has been in use for several hu ...
, guided-missile
frigate
A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat.
The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...
, and
P-3C Orion
The Lockheed P-3 Orion is a four-engined, turboprop Anti-submarine warfare, anti-submarine and maritime patrol aircraft, maritime surveillance aircraft developed for the United States Navy and introduced in the 1960s. Lockheed Corporation, Lockh ...
maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft, participated in
Exercise Malabar
Exercise Malabar is a naval exercise involving the United States, Japan and India as permanent partners. The annual Malabar exercises includes diverse activities, ranging from fighter combat operations from aircraft carriers through maritime int ...
2004, a training exercise with the
Indian Navy
The Indian Navy is the maritime branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff, a four-star admiral, commands the navy. As a blue-water navy, it operates sig ...
off the southwest coast of India that ended on 11 October 2004.
In March 2007 ''Alexandria'' was participating in the joint U.S. Navy/
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
Ice Exercise 2007 (ICEX-2007), conducted in the
Arctic Ocean
The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceans. It spans an area of approximately and is known as the coldest of all the oceans. The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) recognizes it as an ocean, a ...
with the . The exercise took place on and under a drifting
ice floe
An ice floe () is a large pack of floating ice often defined as a flat piece at least 20 m across at its widest point, and up to more than 10 km across. Drift ice is a floating field of sea ice composed of several ice floes. They may caus ...
, about off the north coast of
Alaska
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...
. The two submarines were taking part in joint testing of submarine operability and tactical development in Arctic waters. On 21 March 2007, ''Tireless'' experienced an explosion of a self-contained
oxygen generation candle, she suffered only superficial damage, but two crew members were killed and one injured.
;Kristian Saucier Incident
On 19 August 2016, Navy machinist mate
Kristian Saucier, 29, was sentenced by a U.S. District Court judge in Bridgeport, Connecticut, to one year in prison plus six months house arrest for taking and possessing six cell phone photos of ''Alexandria's'' classified propulsion system while working in her engine room in 2009. Invoking the so-called "Clinton defense," his attorneys had argued for leniency by citing the FBI's decision not to charge Hillary Clinton for similar crimes of mishandling classified information related to her use of a private email server. On 5 September 2017, having received an
other-than-honorable discharge from the Navy, Saucier was released from jail.
;Film set
Some scenes for the movie ''
Stargate: Continuum'' were filmed on board ''Alexandria''. The then-captain of ''Alexandria'', Commander Mike Bernacchi, and members of his crew played themselves. The ship was also used as a filming location for the
''JAG'' and ''
NCIS NCIS or N.C.I.S. may refer to:
Law enforcement
* National Criminal Intelligence Service, the predecessor to the Serious Organised Crime Agency of the United Kingdom
* Naval Criminal Investigative Service, a United States law enforcement and intelli ...
'' TV series, although she was referred to there as the fictional
USS ''Cathedral City''.
New London
New London may refer to:
Places United States
*New London, Alabama
*New London, Connecticut
*New London, Indiana
*New London, Iowa
* New London, Maryland
*New London, Minnesota
*New London, Missouri
*New London, New Hampshire, a New England town
* ...
, CT.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Alexandria (SSN-757)
Ships built in Groton, Connecticut
Los Angeles-class submarines
Cold War submarines of the United States
Nuclear submarines of the United States Navy
1990 ships
Submarines of the United States