U.S. Navy fast-attack submarine USS Jefferson City departs Pearl Harbor

The Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Jefferson City (SSN 759) departs Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard after completing an engineered overahul to prolong the life of the submarine, according to a statement issued Monday by Commander Submarine Forces Pacific.

“During the shipyard period, shipyard employees and the crew performed multiple repairs, conducted preventative maintenance, and installed equipment upgrades to tactical systems and the propulsion plant,” a service news release states.

Commissioned Feb. 29, 1992, USS Jefferson City is the 48th ship of the Los Angeles class and is the only ship in Navy history named for the capital of the Show Me State.

Jefferson City is capable of supporting various missions, including anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface ship warfare, strike, surveillance, and reconnaissance. She is one of six Los Angeles-class submarines homeported in San Diego.

Attack submarines of this class are designed to seek and destroy enemy submarines and surface ships; project power ashore with Tomahawk cruise missiles and Special Operation Forces (SOF); carry out Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions; support battle group operations; and engage in mine warfare.

According to the U.S. Department of Defense, the top speed of the submarines of the Los Angeles class is over 25 knots, although the actual maximum is classified. Some published estimates have placed their top speed at 30 to 33 knots (56 to 61 km/h; 35 to 38 mph). In his book Submarine: A Guided Tour Inside a Nuclear Warship, Tom Clancy estimated the top speed of Los Angeles-class submarines at about 37 knots (69 km/h; 43 mph).