The first USS Utah was lost in the attack on Pearl Harbor, and no other ship was named for the Copper State until Saturday’s dedication ceremony.
Until this past Saturday, in the history of the United States Navy, there had been only one vessel named for the state of Utah—the Florida-class dreadnought battleship USS Utah (BB-31), which was later “demilitarized” and converted into a target ship, redesignated AG-16. The former battleship was among the vessels that came under attack from Japanese aircraft on December 7, 1941, and was sunk at Pearl Harbor with 58 sailors on board.
Last Friday, at a ceremony in Groton, Connecticut, lawmakers from the Beehive State were in attendance for the christening of the newest Virginia-class submarine, SSN-801.
A special watch party was also held at the Utah State Capitol—where it was noted that it has been more than eight decades since a warship named for Utah has been in service.
“There’s a lot of meaning—to the youth that we had here today, to the future of Utah, to Utah being part of the Navy once again. We’ve not had a ship in the seas since December 7, 1941,” historian and Utah native Ron Fox, who helped organize this weekend’s watch party, told Fox 13.
The 801 and Utah Raptor Significance!
In addition to being the second US Navy vessel named for Utah, the boat received a special honor. It was initially assigned the hull number SSN-799—but state lawmakers requested that it be designated SSN-801, which is Utah’s telephone area code.
The accommodation was granted, but it means USS Utah (SSN-801) will likely enter service ahead of USS Idaho (SSN-799) and USS Arkansas (SSN-800), with the former expected to be christened in fiscal year 2026 (FY26) and the latter sometime in 2027 or 2028.
One other change was made: the mascot. The decision was made for it to be the Utah Raptor, as the raptor is the “state’s official dinosaur” due to a raptor fossil being found in the state. The original mascot was to be honeybee, the state insect—but the crew voted for the change, and possibly for a very good reason!
“Originally, because the state of Utah, it was the Honeybee,” explained Mike Lamoreaux, the chair of the USS Utah Commissioning Committee, in an interview with KSL News Radio. “And if you went in their command center, they had everything Honeybee related.”
The Submarine Is a Tribute to the Battleships Lost at Pearl Harbor
Construction of USS Utah began in 2021, around six years after the name was assigned. Because the former USS Utah remains a protected war grave, resting partially submerged at Pearl Harbor, many veterans opposed naming replacement ships after the two vessels permanently lost in the attack, with USS Arizona (BB-39) being the other.
SSN-803, a planned Virginia-class submarine, is now set to be named for the Copper State. The decision to name the two submarines after the former battleships is meant to honor those crew members who were killed in and following the attack during World War II.
Current plans call for SSN-801, the 28th Virginia-class nuclear-powered fast attack submarine, to undergo sea trials and final construction before she is commissioned and enters formal service in early 2027.
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu has contributed over 3,200 published pieces to more than four dozen magazines and websites over a 30-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a contributing writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].
Image: Wikimedia Commons.
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