[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 114 (Friday, July 30, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1503]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             HONORING THE COMMISSIONING OF THE USS MISSOURI

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. W. TODD AKIN

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 30, 2010

  Mr. AKIN. Madam Speaker, today I rise to commemorate the 
commissioning of the USS Missouri to take place tomorrow, the 31st of 
July, and to congratulate the crew of the newest addition to the United 
States naval fleet.
  USS Missouri is the nation's newest and most advanced nuclear-powered 
attack submarine. This vessel was designed to not require refueling 
during the life of the ship--a feature that will reduce lifecycle costs 
while increasing underway time.
  The Missouri is 377 feet long and 34 feet wide, and is capable of 
traveling in both shallow and deep waters. Specially designed for 
undersea warfare, she can dive deeper than 800 feet and is capable of 
operating speeds exceeding 25 knots while submerged.
  Weighing 7,800 tons, Missouri is a Virginia-class submarine 
engineered to excel in anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare, special 
operations missions, strike, intelligence, surveillance and 
reconnaissance, carrier and expeditionary strike group support, and 
mine warfare missions.
  The soon-to-be-commissioned submarine embodies five of the six Navy 
maritime strategy core capabilities including sea control, power 
projection, forward presence, maritime security, and deterrence.
  The seventh of the Virginia-class of submarines to join the U.S. 
Navy, the Missouri was built under a teaming arrangement by General 
Dynamics Electric Boat and Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding-Newport News.
  She is scheduled to be commissioned on July 31st at Naval Submarine 
Base New London in Groton, CT, and will join Submarine Squadron 4 under 
the leadership of Commander Timothy Rexrode with a crew totalling 134 
officers and enlisted personnel.
  Following the commissioning of the Missouri on Saturday, she will be 
the fifth Navy ship to bear the name honoring the ``Show Me State.'' 
The fourth such ship was the famous battleship which served in World 
War II, the Korean War, and the Persian Gulf War. It was aboard this 
predecessor of the Missouri that the United States and Allied officers, 
among them Fleet Adm. Chester Nimitz and Gen. Douglas MacArthur, 
accepted the unconditional surrender of Japanese forces marking the end 
of World War II on September 2, 1945.
  The people of the great state of Missouri are proud to have a 
fantastic new ship bearing our state's name. It honors our state and 
the many men and women from Missouri who proudly serve in the United 
States Armed Forces.
  We expect great accomplishments and a life of unwavering loyalty and 
service from the newest USS Missouri. It is with great honor that I 
welcome the USS Missouri to our nation's fleet, the best submarine in 
the strongest navy in the world.

                          ____________________