Namesake:
State of Virginia, legacy name
The submarine USS Virginia (SSN 774) is the sixth U.S. Navy vessel to
bear the name of the first English colony and the 10th American state.
The first ship named Virginia was commissioned in the
spring of 1777 and put into service as a blockade runner.
Unfortunately, it was captured and renamed HMS Virginia.
The second USS Virginia was a schooner commissioned June
25, 1798. It captured the French schooner Jenny in the West Indies. It
was decommissioned in June of 1799.
The next Virginia was a captured Confederate blockade
runner, commissioned into the Union Navy June 12, 1863. The ship and
its crew were very successful, as it captured many Confederate vessels
while serving as a blockade ship. It was sold on November 30, 1865.
The fourth USS Virginia (BB 13) was commissioned May 7,
1906. The battleship toured the world with the Great White Fleet. After
World War I, the vessel was decommissioned and blown up for target
practice.
The most recent USS Virginia (CGN 38) was commissioned on
September 11, 1976. It was the first cruiser to carry Tomahawk cruise
missiles, and used them in Operation Desert Storm. This ship was
decommissioned November 10, 1994.
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