KITTERY, Maine - The USS Virginia is back at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard for maintenance and upgrades. The nuclear-powered attack submarine with a crew of 132 officers and sailors arrived Wednesday.
Capt. David Hunt, the shipyard commander, said workers aim to return the submarine to the fleet "with Portsmouth quality.'' The submarine also underwent maintenance at the shipyard in 2012.
Commissioned in 2004, the Virginia is the first in the newest class of attack submarines. It returned from duty in the U.S. European Command in February. During that deployment, the Virginia traveled more than 31,000 miles and made port visits in Spain, Scotland and Norway.