Navy
Navy commissions the first submarine named for Massachusetts
Stars and Stripes
March 28, 2026
The USS Constitution sails past the Virginia-class nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine USS Massachusetts during the commissioning in Boston on March 28, 2026. (Lucas J. Hastings/U.S. Navy)
A commissioning ceremony on Saturday marked the first time a submarine named for the state of Massachusetts joined the U.S. Navy.
The ceremony for the USS Massachusetts, the 25th Virginia-class fast-attack submarine, took place in Boston and was attended by the state’s governor, Maura Healey, Adm. William Houston, who directs the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, the president of Newport News Shipbuilding and others.
While the USS Massachusetts is the first submarine named for the state, it is the eighth U.S. military vessel named for Massachusetts overall, according to a Navy news release. It is also the first vessel to carry the name since a battleship was commissioned in 1942.
Virginia-class submarines are 377 feet long and weigh about 7,800 tons.
USS Massachusetts was christened by Sheryl Sandberg, its sponsor and the former COO of Meta, in May 2023.