05/20/2026
https://www.facebook.com/61571147524239/posts/122163754820704917/?fs=e&fs=e
The future USS Oklahoma (SSN-802) is one of the most advanced submarines ever built for the U.S. Navy. On December 16, 2025, shipbuilders at Newport News Shipbuilding announced that the submarine had reached the important “pressure hull complete” milestone, meaning all major hull sections were fully joined into a single watertight structure.
No, USS Oklahoma has not entered active service yet. She is still under construction and must complete outfitting, reactor work, sea trials, and Navy testing before commissioning into the fleet.
As the first Block V Virginia-class submarine submarine, Oklahoma represents a major leap in undersea warfare. These submarines are designed for stealth, intelligence gathering, hunter-killer missions, and long-range strike operations. The Block V design adds significantly greater strike capability through the Virginia Payload Module, allowing the submarine to carry far more Tomahawk cruise missiles than earlier versions.
Powered by a nuclear reactor, USS Oklahoma will be able to remain submerged for months, travel at high underwater speeds, and operate almost silently beneath the oceans. Combined with advanced sonar systems and extreme stealth technology, she is expected to become one of the deadliest attack submarines in the world once commissioned.
The name Oklahoma also carries deep historical meaning. She honors the memory of the earlier battleship USS Oklahoma (BB-37), which was lost during the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. The new SSN-802 continues that legacy beneath the sea with an entirely new generation of American naval power.
