USS New Hampshire (SSN 778)

USS NEW HAMPSHIRE History:

USS NEW HAMPSHIRE is a VIRGINIA-class nuclear-powered attack submarine and the first Block II unit of her class, built for multi-mission operations from the littorals to the deep ocean. Conceived in the late 1990s as part of the U.S. Navy's post-Cold War undersea recapitalization, her construction contract went to General Dynamics Electric Boat in Groton, Connecticut, the traditional center of U.S. attack-submarine building. In 2004, the Secretary of the Navy announced that the new boat would carry the name NEW HAMPSHIRE after a letter-writing campaign by schoolchildren in Dover, New Hampshire, linking the ship closely to the state whose motto "Live Free or Die" she would later adopt informally as part of her identity.

Physical construction of NEW HAMPSHIRE began in the early 2000s at Electric Boat. She was designed from the outset as a Block II VIRGINIA, incorporating modular construction techniques and detail design changes intended to reduce cost and build time compared with the first four hulls of the class. Her keel was laid at Groton on April 30, 2007, in a ceremony that formally marked the joining of her major hull sections. The boat entered the water when she was launched on February 21, 2008, and she was christened on June 21, 2008, with Cheryl McGuinness, widow of a New Hampshire native killed in the September 11 attacks, serving as sponsor. After builder's sea trials in the Atlantic and Navy acceptance trials to prove propulsion, sensors and combat systems, NEW HAMPSHIRE was delivered to the Navy on August 28, 2008 and commissioned on October 25, 2008 at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine, entering active service as the fifth VIRGINIA-class submarine and the first Block II unit.

Following commissioning, USS NEW HAMPSHIRE shifted to her first operational homeport at Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, Connecticut. Through late 2008 and early 2009, she completed shakedown operations in the western Atlantic, certifying the crew and equipment for deployment. These early underway periods included tactical development exercises and weapon-system certifications typical for a new attack submarine, in a strategic context marked by ongoing U.S. operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and growing concern about Russian and Chinese naval modernization. On July 22, 2009, NEW HAMPSHIRE returned to Groton from her maiden deployment to the U.S. European Command (EUCOM) area of responsibility, becoming the first VIRGINIA-class submarine to deploy to that theater. Imagery and Navy reporting show her mooring at Groton that day after several months at sea. During this first deployment she visited ports in Spain and France and, significantly, Norway, where the crew joined a week-long Norwegian Submarine Centennial celebration. In May 2009, she was photographed mooring at the Norwegian naval base at Haakonsvern near Bergen, having taken part in the centennial events alongside submariners from Norway, Germany, Russia and the United Kingdom. NEW HAMPSHIRE's crew even marched through downtown Bergen as part of the commemorative parade, underlining the boat's early role in alliance diplomacy and naval presence operations in northern Europe.

After that successful first deployment, NEW HAMPSHIRE resumed operations from Groton. In March 2010, she attracted brief public attention for a technical casualty that nonetheless ended without injury or lasting damage: on March 22, 2010, while operating off the U.S. East Coast near Florida, the submarine experienced a failure in her oxygen-generation system that caused a loss of main electrical power for roughly two hours. The crew surfaced the submarine, restored power using backup systems and returned safely to port. Subsequent Navy reporting emphasized that the boat had not been in danger and that corrective measures were taken before she resumed normal operations.

Later that year and into 2011, NEW HAMPSHIRE carried out a mix of local training and independent steaming in the North Atlantic, reflecting the Navy's standard pattern of alternating deployments, maintenance and work-ups.

In early 2011, NEW HAMPSHIRE took part in one of the most strategically significant exercises of her early career: Ice Exercise 2011 (ICEX 2011) in the Arctic Ocean. From March 15 to April 2, 2011, she and the SEAWOLF-class submarine USS CONNECTICUT (SSN 22) operated under the ice north of Alaska in a complex series of tests and tactical drills overseen by the Arctic Submarine Laboratory. NEW HAMPSHIRE's role included testing a new high-frequency sonar optimized for safe under-ice navigation, while scientists supported by the Office of Naval Research and the Naval Postgraduate School used the exercise to measure sea-ice thickness, snow depth and ocean properties. At a time when Arctic sea ice was retreating and geopolitical interest in northern sea routes and offshore resources was rising, ICEX 2011 underscored the Navy's intent to maintain under-ice proficiency. NEW HAMPSHIRE's participation, alongside CONNECTICUT and an international science team, showed that the newest attack-submarine class was being integrated into this longstanding mission set.

Through 2012, the boat remained based in Groton and cycled through further Atlantic and European operations whose precise locations and durations remain largely classified but are reflected in open-source imagery of her frequent returns to SUBASE New London. Photographs show USS NEW HAMPSHIRE alongside in March and September 2012 and again in May 2013, indicating repeated extended underways or deployments during this period.

On December 17, 2012, Cmdr. Sean Fujimoto assumed command, becoming the boat's third commanding officer. Under his leadership NEW HAMPSHIRE conducted a demanding European Command deployment that Vice Adm. Michael Connor later described as involving 176 days at sea out of a 184-day period, with no days lost to material issues - an unusually high operational tempo for a fast-attack submarine. That deployment, completed before Fujimoto's relief in April 2015, took place against the backdrop of rising tension with Russia following the 2014 annexation of Crimea and increasing NATO undersea focus in the North Atlantic and European waters, though the specific patrol areas and missions were not publicly disclosed.

NEW HAMPSHIRE's next publicly documented long deployment to Europe came in 2016 under the command of Cmdr. Jason (Jesse) Weed, who had relieved Fujimoto in a change-of-command ceremony aboard the submarine at Groton on April 13, 2015. In 2016, she deployed to the EUCOM theater. On November 9, 2016 she was photographed returning to New London after this regularly scheduled deployment, having steamed approximately 40,000 nautical miles. During that deployment NEW HAMPSHIRE conducted port visits in Haakonsvern, Norway; Faslane, Scotland; and Brest, France, reinforcing defense relationships with key NATO maritime partners. The port call at Haakonsvern echoed her earlier Norwegian Submarine Centennial participation and highlighted Norway's central role in monitoring Russian naval movements from the Kola Peninsula into the North Atlantic, while visits to Faslane and Brest emphasized cooperation with the United Kingdom and France, both operators of nuclear submarines and central actors in NATO's undersea posture.

Shortly after returning from that 2016 deployment, NEW HAMPSHIRE entered a substantial maintenance period at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine. Photo documentation shows her arriving there in March 2017 and later undocking on June 12, 2018, indicating a lengthy dry-docking availability used to conduct major hull, mechanical and electrical work typical of a mid-life or extended maintenance package on a VIRGINIA-class submarine. The availability took place at a time when the Navy was investing heavily in maintaining the readiness of its relatively small fast-attack fleet amid growing operational demand in both the European and Indo-Pacific theaters. Once undocked and trials-complete, NEW HAMPSHIRE left Portsmouth and by July 2019 was photographed arriving at Naval Base Norfolk, Virginia, reflecting a shift in her operating base from Groton to Norfolk.

By mid-2019, NEW HAMPSHIRE was homeported at Norfolk and assigned to the Atlantic submarine force centered there. Through 2019, she conducted local operations and work-ups from the Virginia Capes operating areas into the North Atlantic, preparing for future deployments. On April 10, 2020, in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, Cmdr. Bennett Christman - who had previously served as the boat's executive officer - relieved Cmdr. Brandon Todd as commanding officer, in a ceremony reported under the title "USS NEW HAMPSHIRE Welcomes Back Former Executive Officer as New Commander". The change of command occurred as the Submarine Force was adjusting deployment and maintenance patterns to maintain readiness under pandemic conditions, with strict health protocols and modified liberty policies. Under Christman's command, NEW HAMPSHIRE undertook what Navy accounts describe as her fourth deployment, a six-month period at sea that concluded in spring 2021. On May 7, 2021, the submarine returned to her Norfolk homeport, mooring at Naval Station Norfolk after what Commander, Submarine Force Atlantic characterized as a deployment supporting national security interests and maritime security operations. Imagery from that day shows NEW HAMPSHIRE arriving in company with the guided-missile destroyer USS WINSTON S. CHURCHILL (DDG 81), both entering port after separate deployments. During the deployment NEW HAMPSHIRE steamed more than 40,000 nautical miles and conducted brief stops in Faslane, Scotland, and Haakonsvern, Norway - again emphasizing persistent U.S. submarine presence in the North Atlantic and Norwegian Sea at a time of heightened focus on Russian undersea activity. The crew took part in the "Blue Nose" line-crossing tradition upon entering the Arctic Circle, confirming at least one period of operations in high northern latitudes, and 23 enlisted Sailors and five officers earned their "dolphins" submarine-warfare qualification while at sea. The boat also became the first submarine to deploy with a Naval Sea Systems Command 3D-printer kit, using it to fabricate temporary parts during the deployment, an experiment in additive manufacturing intended to increase self-sufficiency for deployed submarines far from repair facilities.

Shortly after her return, the crew marked this deployment - and the submarine's broader operational record - with a modern take on a traditional emblem: a submarine battle flag. A June 7, 2021 Navy article on "USS NEW HAMPSHIRE Carries on Submarine Battle Flag Tradition" described how the crew stitched together patches representing key achievements, including the number four for the boat's fourth deployment and symbols for the 23 enlisted and five officers who had qualified in submarines while underway. The battle-flag tradition, with roots in World War II combat patrols, was used here to record peacetime missions such as extended Arctic operations, mission "bullseyes" and demanding maintenance improvisations.

In the second half of 2022, NEW HAMPSHIRE again deployed from Norfolk for approximately six months, this time overtly associated with EUCOM at a moment of intense geopolitical tension following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. On January 17, 2023, she returned to Naval Station Norfolk after this deployment. Commander, Submarine Force Atlantic reported that, under Capt. Bennett Christman, NEW HAMPSHIRE operated in the EUCOM theater, executing missions in a "dynamic environment" with frequent changes to tasked operations. Over the course of the deployment the submarine steamed more than 37,000 nautical miles and conducted port visits in Faslane, Scotland, and in Norway at Haakonsvern and Tromsø, strengthening diplomatic ties with key NATO allies in the North Atlantic and Arctic approaches. Thirty enlisted Sailors and six officers earned their "dolphins" on this cruise, with additional promotions and reenlistments recorded, reflecting the deployment's importance for crew development. Christman publicly thanked Commander, Submarine Group Eight and Commander, Task Force 69 for their support in theater, a reference to the command structure overseeing U.S. attack submarines operating in the Mediterranean and North Atlantic under U.S. Sixth Fleet, underscoring NEW HAMPSHIRE's integration into NATO-focused undersea operations in support of deterrence and surveillance near Europe.

Just three days after returning from this deployment, USS NEW HAMPSHIRE held another change of command. On January 20, 2023, at Naval Support Activity Hampton Roads, Capt. Bennett Christman was relieved by Cmdr. Carl D. Jappert as commanding officer of the submarine, in a ceremony documented by Navy photography. The event formally marked the end of Christman's tenure, during which the boat had completed at least two major deployments and pioneered use of additive manufacturing at sea, and the beginning of Jappert's command at a time when Atlantic submarine operations remained heavily focused on Russian naval activity and support to NATO allies.

Into 2024, NEW HAMPSHIRE continued to operate from Norfolk, conducting routine underways and exercises whose specifics are mostly unpublicized but which likely included fleet exercises and independent steaming in the North Atlantic and possibly into the Arctic, given her recent pattern of Blue Nose-earning voyages and northern port calls. Open-source summaries note early-January 2024 routine operations from her homeport with at-sea personnel transfers off Naval Station Norfolk, consistent with the flexible employment of fast-attack submarines for both training and real-world national tasking.

By 2025, with nearly two decades of service behind her, USS NEW HAMPSHIRE was ready for a more extensive mid-life maintenance package. On September 3, 2025, she arrived at Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) in Portsmouth, Virginia, to begin a Depot Modernization Period (DMP), as documented in DVIDS imagery and a NNSY news release. The DMP was described as a mid-life availability intended to ensure the submarine could meet her full planned service life. Planned work included shaft and full outer-hull tile replacement, complete overhaul of steering and diving systems, extensive electrical alterations, and a broad range of structural and mechanical inspections and repairs. Around the same period, and prior to the start of the DMP, NEW HAMPSHIRE held another change-of-command ceremony at Naval Station Norfolk on August 15, 2025, during which Cmdr. Stephen D. Emerson relieved Cmdr. Carl Jappert as commanding officer, as shown in DVIDS imagery of the event. With Emerson taking command just as the boat entered her depot availability, leadership focus shifted from operational deployment to the complex management of an extended overhaul, modernization and subsequent return to the fleet.

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USS NEW HAMPSHIRE Image Gallery:

The photo below was taken by Michael Jenning and shows the NEW HAMPSHIRE at Naval Base Norfolk, Va., on December 26, 2021.

The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show USS NEW HAMPSHIRE at Naval Base Norfolk, Va., on October 9, 2023.

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