Commander Jess Porter, the new submarine's skipper says there are 73 submarines in the U.S. navy. Once deployed, his crew will spend 8 hours on duty and 16 off with no days off while at sea. The Illinois will be used in near-shore and deep-water missions. It will be involved with anti-submarine, anti-surface ship warfare, strike warfare, special operations support, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, irregular warfare and mine warfare.
Subs usually ship out with 120 days worth of food and supplies
Off duty, the crew can watch movies, play games, work out and even send e-mails except when the ship is in "covert posture." They can receive e-mail, but can't send it.
The last Virginia-class submarine commissioned was the USS North Dakota. Class ships in the works are the Washington, Colorado, Indiana, South Dakota, Delaware, Vermont and Oregon.
The new USS Illinois is the first commissioned Navy ship since a battleship by the name was launched in 1901. Years later that ship was reclassified and renamed the "Prairie State" to free up the name for another battleship.
Diving Again! --Cooter
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