HARTFORD (SSN 768)
The Los Angeles class attack submarine Hartford (SSN 768), will be
commissioned at 2 p.m. on Saturday, December 10, 1994, at the Naval Submarine
Base, New London, Connecticut.
Senator Christopher Dodd will be the ceremony's principal speaker.
Also
attending the ceremony will be the ship's Sponsor, Mrs. Laura O'Keefe, wife of
former Secretary of the Navy Sean O'Keefe.
Hartford honors the capital city of Connecticut.
One previous U.S. Navy ship,
a steam sloop which was Rear Admiral David Farragut's flagship during the Civil
War battles of New Orleans, Vicksburg and Mobile Bay, was named Hartford.
Hartford is the 57th of 62 Los Angeles class submarines authorized for
construction by Congress.
Attack submarines are a vital part of the Navy's
"Forward ...From the Sea" doctrine, bringing to bear proven shallow water
operational capabilities including mine warfare, covert coastal surveillance
and intelligence gathering, operations with special forces and combat search
and rescue.
Further, the submarine's ability to strike targets at, below and
beyond the water's surface make it a potent asset in the nation's arsenal.
Hartford is equipped with the Tomahawk cruise missile system for a
significant land attack and strike capability, and is an improved version of
the Los Angeles Class, with a hardened sail and retractable bow planes for
surfacing through the ice during Arctic missions.
The ship is 360 feet long,
has a beam of 33 feet and displaces approximately 6,900 tons submerged.
Hartford will carry a crew of 127 enlisted personnel and 14 officers.
Commander George Kasten, a native of Gales Ferry, Connecticut, will be the
ship's commanding officer.
