The last Los Angeles Class Attack submarine, Cheyenne (SSN
773), will be commissioned during a 10 a.m. ceremony Friday,
September 13, 1996, at Pier 12, Naval Station, Norfolk, Virginia.
Named to honor Wyoming's capital city, Cheyenne is the third
ship to bear the name.
A converted tugboat was the first, operating in 1885 during the
Spanish-American War. The second was Monitor No.10 in 1902,
originally named Wyoming but later renamed
to clear that name for a new battleship.
Virginia Senator John Warner will be the ceremony's principal
speaker. Mrs. Ann Simpson, wife of Wyoming Senator Alan K.
Simpson, is the ship's sponsor and will give the first order to
man our ship and bring her to life.
Distinguished guests attending the ceremony will include
Wyoming Senator Alan K. Simpson and Representative Barbara Cubin,
Wyoming (at large); Vice Admiral Richard W. Mies, Commander
Submarine Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet/Commander Submarine Allied
Command Atlantic; Rear Admiral John F. Shipway, Deputy Commander
for Submarines,
Naval Sea Systems Command; the Honorable Leo A. Pando, Mayor of
Cheyenne, Wyoming; and Mr. W. P. Fricks, President and Chief
Executive Officer, Newport News Shipbuilding.
Cheyenne is fully capable of performing any missions assigned
to the submarine force today, including anti-submarine warfare,
intelligence gathering, insertion of special forces, strike
missions, mining and search and rescue. The Navy's AN/BSY-1
combat control and sonar system, plus retractable bow planes and a
hardened sail for breaking through ice during Arctic operations,
are also installed in Cheyenne. Weaponry will include MK-48 and
MK-48 advanced capability torpedoes, Harpoon and Tomahawk
missiles, and submarine-launched mobile mines.
Following its commissioning, Cheyenne will join the
Submarine Force, U.S. Atlantic
Fleet with Commander Peter H. Ozimek, a native of Westfield, New
Jersey, as the
commanding officer. The submarine will be homeported in Norfolk,
Virginia, with a crew
of 14 Officers, and 126 Sailors. The Cheyenne is 360 feet in
length, has a beam of 33 feet, displaces approximately 6,900 tons
submerged and is capable of reaching speeds in excess of
25 knots.
