USS ''Cheyenne'' (SSN-773), the final , is the third ship 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

Cheyenne, Wyoming Cheyenne ( or ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Wyoming, as well as the county seat of Laramie County, with 65,132 residents, per the 2020 US Census. It is the principal city of the Cheyenne metropolitan statistical ...

. The contract to build her was awarded to

Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS), a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries, is the largest industrial employer in Virginia, and sole designer, builder and refueler of United States Navy aircraft carriers and one of two providers of U.S. Navy ...

Newport News, Virginia Newport News () is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 186,247. Located in the Hampton Roads region, it is the 5th most populous city in Virginia and 140th most populous city in the Uni ...

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 Alan Kooi Simpson (born September 2, 1931) is an American politician and member of the Republican Party, who represented Wyoming in the United States Senate (1979–97). He also served as co-chair of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibil ...

, and commissioned on 13 September 1996, with Commander Peter H. Ozimik in command. ''Cheyenne'' transferred to her homeport of

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Re ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

, in 1998. ''Cheyenne'' has served as a trials platform for flat-screen, interoperative

sonar Sonar (sound navigation and ranging or sonic navigation and ranging) is a technique that uses sound propagation (usually underwater, as in submarine navigation) to navigation, navigate, measure distances (ranging), communicate with or detect o ...

displays based on commercially available equipment. ''Cheyenne'' was the first ship to launch

Tomahawk missiles The Tomahawk () Land Attack Missile (TLAM) is a long-range, all-weather, jet-powered, subsonic cruise missile that is primarily used by the United States Navy and Royal Navy in ship and submarine-based land-attack operations. Under contract f ...

Operation Iraqi Freedom {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...

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 by Newport News Shipyards. Following the construction of USS ''Cheyenne'', Newport News began preparation for construction of the .

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 , , , and , as well as land-based P-3 Orion aircraft from patrol squadrons

VP-4 Patrol Squadron Four (VP-4) is a U.S. Navy land-based patrol squadron based at the Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Oak Harbor, Washington, which is tasked to undertake maritime patrol, anti-submarine warfare (ASW), and intelligence, surveillance ...

, VP-9, and

VP-47 Patrol Squadron 47 (VP-47), also known as "The Golden Swordsmen", is a maritime patrol squadron of the United States Navy based at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Washington (USA), attached to Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing 10. The squadron curr ...

In popular culture

*''Cheyenne'' is the primary subject of the book ''

SSN SSN may refer to: Broadcasting *Setanta Sports News, a former 24-hour sports news network in the United Kingdom * Sky Sports News, a 24-hour sports news network in the United Kingdom * Soul of the South Network, an African-American oriented TV Netw ...

'' by

Tom Clancy Thomas Leo Clancy Jr. (April 12, 1947 – October 1, 2013) was an American novelist. He is best known for his technically detailed espionage and military science, military-science storylines set during and after the Cold War. Seventeen of ...

, battling the

People's Liberation Army Navy The People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN; ), also known as the People's Navy, Chinese Navy, or PLA Navy, is the maritime service branch of the People's Liberation Army. The PLAN traces its lineage to naval units fighting during the Chinese ...

in a fictional war over the Spratly Islands. She is also featured in the video game by Tom Clancy called ''

''. *In the 2000 novel ''

Quicksilver Quicksilver may refer to: * Quicksilver (metal), the chemical element mercury Arts and entertainment Music * Quicksilver, a bluegrass band fronted by Doyle Lawson * "Quicksilver" (song), a 1950 hit for Bing Crosby * ''Quicksilver'' (sound ...

'' 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 The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense. It was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As a symbol of the U.S. military, the phrase ''The Pentagon'' is often used as a metony ...

. *In ''To the Death'' by Patrick Robinson, ''Cheyenne'' is tasked with shadowing an Iranian

Kilo KILO (94.3 FM, 94.3 KILO) is a radio station broadcasting in Colorado Springs and Pueblo, Colorado. It also streams online. History KLST and KPIK-FM The 94.3 signal signed on the air on August 22, 1962, as KLST, owned by Little London Broa ...

on a path through the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...

References

External links

* 1995 ships Submarines of the United States Los Angeles-class submarines Nuclear submarines of the United States Navy Ships built in Newport News, Virginia {{US-submarine-stub