GROTON, Conn. – The Navy commissioned its 24th Virginia-class fast-attack submarine, USS Iowa (SSN 797), in a traditional ceremony held April 5, at Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, Connecticut.

Adm. Daryl Caudle, U.S. Fleet Forces commander and senior naval officer at the event, called his participation in the event a homecoming to the submarine capital of the world, a place he called “the nation’s center of gravity for the steely-eyed killers of the deep.”

“In this coming year, this crew of proud American sailors will put this warship to sea and carry the name ‘Iowa’ to the far-flung corners of the globe projecting combat power for decades to come,” Caudle said.

“It is the fearless warriors before me that turn this piece of metal weighing almost 8,000 tons – with hundreds of miles of fiber, cable, and piping systems – into a combat ship, a warship designed to decisively win our nation’s battles. Your preparation and execution to get this ship to commissioning day is nothing short of amazing.”