Navy Secretary Donald Winter yesterday named the next Virginia-class attack submarine the USS John Warner, in honor of recently retired Virginia Senator John Warner, according to the Navy.
The USS John Warner, designated SSN-785, honors Warner’s lifetime of service to the nation and the Commonwealth of Virginia. Warner’s career in public service began in 1945, the last year of World War II, when he enlisted at the age of 17 in the U.S. Navy, the service said.
In the Fall of 1949, he joined the Marine Corps Reserve. At the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950, he volunteered for active duty and was commissioned in the U.S. Marine Corps and served with the 1st Marine Air Wing as a ground communications officer in Korea, the Navy said.
Warner continued his affiliation with the Marine Corps Reserve, reaching the rank of captain. In 1969 he was appointed and confirmed by the Senate as Under Secretary of the Navy, and succeeded Secretary John Chafee as the 61st Secretary of the Navy in 1972. Entering politics in 1978, Warner was elected to represent Virginia in the Senate. He served five consecutive terms becoming the second longest serving U.S. Senator from the Commonwealth of Virginia in the 218-year history of the Senate, the Navy said.
Warner retired Jan 3, 2009 after 30 years in the Senate.
During his 30 years of service in the Senate, Warner was a leader in national defense issues, serving continuously on the Senate Armed Services Committee. He held leadership roles as chairman or ranking member for half of his tenure on this committee and also served many years on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.
The USS John Warner will be the second of the eight Block III boats, which the Navy put under contract last month.