Computer line drawing made by Darth Panda&MihosiK; with our thanks
This submarine of the Seawolf-class (sister ships were the Seawolf and the Connecticut) was named after the former American president Jimmy Carter as was announced on 8 April 1998 followed by a naming ceremony on the 27th. Her building at the yard of the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corporation at Groton, Connecticut, USA, was ordered on 29 June 1996, and on 5 December two years later was the keel laid down. The intention was to commission her in in the end of 2001 of begin 2002 but the yard was on 10 December 1999 ordered to make her suitable for so-called highly classified missions and for testing new submarine systems. The result was that her building costs were increased with another 888 million dollars. She was finally launched on 13 May 2004, baptized on 5 June of the same year with as sponsor Rosalynn Carter spouse of Jimmy, trials in the open seas starting on 19 November and a year later commissioned on 19 February with as homeport the Naval Base Kistap or Bangor Annex on the Kitsap Peninsula in Washington State.
With a displacement of 7,568 (light)-12,139 (full)-1,569 (dead) tons were her dimensions 419’ (waterline)-453’(over all) x 40’ x 36’ or 128,5-138 x 121,1 x10,0 metres. She was around 100’/30 metres longer as her sister ships caused by fitting her out with a so-called plug for the highly classified missions by ROV’s and Navy Seals. Her diving depth during tests was 320 metres. The S6W reactor allows a speed of more as 25 knots although Jane;s Fighting Speed claimed a submerged speed of 35 knots! Her crew numbers 141 men and she is armed with 8-26” torpedo tubes, Harpoon and Tomahawk missiles and MK-48 torpedoes and she is capable for mine-laying.
