About USS Springfield (SSN 761)

USS Springfield (SSN 761) is a Los Angeles-class attack submarine and the fourth ship of the United States Navy to bear the name. The boat was named in honor of both the cities of Springfield, Illinois and Springfield, Massachusetts. She was launched on Jan. 4, 1992 and commissioned on Jan. 9, 1993.

The Los Angeles-class, sometimes called the LA-class or the 688-class, is a class of nuclear-powered fast attack submarines thatforms the backbone of the U.S. Navy's submarine force. Sixty-two submarines of this class have been completed, 41 are still in active service.

The Los Angeles class contains more nuclear submarines than any other class in the world. The class was preceded by the Sturgeon class and followed by the Seawolf. Except for USS Hyman G. Rickover (SSN 709), all submarines of this class are named after American cities and a few towns (e.g. Key West, Florida, and Greeneville, Tennessee). This system of naming broke the Navy’s long-standing tradition of naming attack submarines for creatures of the ocean (e.g. USS Nautilus (SSN 571).