For the past 20 years, Wyoming has been honored with having an OHIO Class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine bear its name -- the USS WYOMING (SSBN-742). This submarine, commonly referred to as a “boat” within the Navy, was christened during the tenure of then U.S. Defense Secretary Dick Cheney, who was instrumental in assigning her name.
USS Wyoming (SSBN 742)
Cedant Arma Toga
"Force Must Yield to Law"
History
- Laid down, 8 August 1991, at the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corp., Groton, CT
- Launched, 15 July 1995
- Commissioned, USS Wyoming (SSBN-742), 13 July 1996
- Wyoming is in commission, assigned to the Atlantic Fleet, and homeported at Kings Bay, GA.
Facts and Figures
- Builders: Electric Boat Division, General Dynamics Corp., Groton, Ct.
- Powerplant: One nuclear reactor, one shaft
- Length: 560 feet (109.73 meters)
- Beam: 42 feet
- Displacement: Approx. 18,750 tons (17,010 metric tons)
- Submerged Speed: 20+ knots (23+ MPH; 36,8+ KPH)
- Crew: 13 officers, 121 enlisted
- Armament: 24 Missile tubes, 4 Torpedo tubes
History of Ships named Wyoming
The following was taken from the USS Wyoming's Commissioning document.
The submarine WYOMING (SSBN 742) is the fourth U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name and the third to be named in honor of the 44th state of the union and the 17th TRIDENT submarine commissioned.
The first WYOMING, a wooden-hulled screw sloop-of-war, was commissioned in October of 1859. This ship was named after the Wyoming valley in Luzerne County, in eastern Pennsylvania. She spent two years, during the civil war, in the Far East searching for "Armed pirate cruisers" and upholding treaty rights in Japan. She later operated in the far West Pacific, Caribbean, Atlantic, Mediterranean and even the Black Sea. WYOMING was retired and sold in 1892.
The second WYOMING (Monitor No. 10) was commissioned in San Francisco in 1902. Shortly after commissioning, she sailed to Panamanian waters where a civil war in Columbia threatened American lives and interests. In 1908, WYOMING became the first U.S. Navy ship to be converted to use oil as fuel. A year later, WYOMING was renamed CHEYENNE to clear the name for a projected battleship.
The battleship WYOMING (BB2) and third ship to bear the name WYOMING was commissioned in 1912 and became the Atlantic Fleet flagship. In November 1917, WYOMING sailed for the British Isles, where she became part of the British Grand Fleet and performed convoy escort duties. WYOMING was partially demilitarized in 1931 in accordance wit the London treat limiting naval armament. In 1941, WYOMING was converted to a gunnery trainisg ship where she fired more ammunitition than any other ship in the fleet.