Norwich ― U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, hailed Huntington Ingalls Industries’ announcement Thursday of its delivery of the USS New Jersey (SSN 796), a Virginia-class, fast-attack submarine, to the Navy.

“Another sign of forward momentum as talented shipbuilders at (Huntington Ingalls’) Newport News Shipbuilding, in partnership with Electric Boat, deliver the 23rd Virginia-class submarine ― the USS New Jersey ― to the U.S. Navy,” Courtney said in a statement. “This is the second boat delivered to the Navy in the last six months and the Iowa and Massachusetts are on the horizon for delivery later this year.”

“In Congress, I am working with my colleagues to keep this momentum strong,” he added.

The New Jersey is the 11th Virginia-class submarine delivered by Newport News Shipbuilding. It was built with the participation of more than 10,000 shipbuilders from Newport News and Electric Boat, as well as contributions from thousands of suppliers nationwide, including more than 100 from the state of New Jersey.

The New Jersey was christened in November 2021 by Susan DiMarco, a New Jersey resident and wife of former Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson. The submarine’s commissioning is scheduled for later this year.