US Navy to name submarine USS Atlanta after Georgia's capital

ATLANTA, Georgia: For the fifth time, Georgia's capital will have a shipping vessel named after it by the U.S. Navy.

U.S. Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro announced this week that the Navy will build a nuclear attack submarine and name it the USS Atlanta.

It was not immediately clear when the submarine's construction would start, when it would enter service, or how much it would cost.

In August, the Navy awarded a US$1.3 billion contract to General Dynamics Electric Boat in Groton, Connecticut, to begin purchasing materials for this and other submarines planned for future construction.

Recently, the Navy has been naming its Virginia-class submarines after cities such as Baltimore, San Francisco, and Miami.

The upcoming vessel will be the fifth U.S. Navy ship named for Georgia's largest city. The first was a Confederate ironclad captured and converted to Union service in 1863 during the Civil War, while the most recent was a Los Angeles-class nuclear attack submarine active from 1982 to 1999.

Secretary Del Toro honored former President Jimmy Carter's naval service in the submarine force, celebrating his recent 100th birthday. Carter, the only president who served as a nuclear submariner, already has a namesake submarine-the USS Jimmy Carter, a Seawolf-class submarine commissioned in 2005 that remains in active service.

Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who served in President Joe Biden's administration, will sponsor the ship.