Navy starts building advanced nuclear Submarine named IDAHO

CBS2 News Staff, Idaho News, May 6

BOISE, Idaho (CBS2) — The United States Navy announced Thursday it started the process of building an advanced nuclear attack submarine named the USS IDAHO.

The Virginia-class USS IDAHO will be the 26th ship of its class and the fifth Navy vessel to bear the name of Idaho. The last ship with the name USS IDAHO was commissioned in 1919.

Another battleship known as "The Big Spud" served during World War II.

The newest submarine will be finished in the summer of 2022 and enter active service in the summer of 2023, once sea trials have been finished.

Navy starts building advanced nuclear attack submarine named USS IDAHO. (Courtesy of the USS IDAHO Commissioning Committee)

According to the USS IDAHO Commissioning Committee, Idaho has a long legacy of providing support to the U.S. Navy. During WWII, thousands of sailors trained at Naval Camp Farragut near Athol from 1942 - 1946. The University of Idaho provided radio operator training to sailors from 1942- 1945, and the Navy has operated the Naval Acoustic Research Detachment in Bayview since 1955.

The Idaho National Laboratory also provided 40,000 sailors with training on nuclear power plant operations from 1945 to 1995.