[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 11] [Extensions of Remarks] [Pages 14928-14929] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]HONORING THE COMMISSIONING OF THE USS ``MISSOURI'' ______ HON. W. TODD AKIN of missouri in the house of representatives Friday, July 30, 2010 Mr. AKIN. Madam Speaker, today I rise to commemorate the commissioning of the USS Missouri to take place tomorrow, the 31st of July, and to congratulate the crew of the newest addition to the United States naval fleet. USS Missouri is the nation's newest and most advanced nuclear-powered attack submarine. This vessel was designed to not require refueling during the life of the ship--a feature that will reduce lifecycle costs while increasing underway time. The Missouri is 377 feet long and 34 feet wide, and is capable of traveling in both shallow and deep waters. Specially designed for undersea warfare, she can dive deeper than 800 feet and is capable of operating speeds exceeding 25 knots while submerged. Weighing 7,800 tons, Missouri is a Virginia-class submarine engineered to excel in anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare, special operations missions, strike, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, carrier and expeditionary strike group support, and mine warfare missions. The soon-to-be-commissioned submarine embodies five of the six Navy maritime strategy core capabilities including sea control, power projection, forward presence, maritime security, and deterrence. The seventh of the Virginia-class of submarines to join the U.S. Navy, the Missouri was built under a teaming arrangement by General Dynamics Electric Boat and Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding-Newport News. She is scheduled to be commissioned on July 31st at Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, CT, and will join Submarine Squadron 4 under the leadership of Commander Timothy Rexrode with a crew totalling 134 officers and enlisted personnel. Following the commissioning of the Missouri on Saturday, she will be the fifth Navy ship to bear the name honoring the ``Show Me State.'' The fourth such ship was the famous battleship which served in World War II, the Korean War, and the Persian Gulf War. It was aboard this predecessor of the Missouri that the United States and Allied officers, among them Fleet Adm. Chester Nimitz and Gen. Douglas MacArthur, accepted the unconditional surrender of Japanese forces marking the end of World War II on September 2, 1945. [[Page 14929]] The people of the great state of Missouri are proud to have a fantastic new ship bearing our state's name. It honors our state and the many men and women from Missouri who proudly serve in the United States Armed Forces. We expect great accomplishments and a life of unwavering loyalty and service from the newest USS Missouri. It is with great honor that I welcome the USS Missouri to our nation's fleet, the best submarine in the strongest navy in the world. ____________________