USS Utah Commander Chris Hournung Visits with KDXU

Commander Chris Hornung offered Southern Utah listeners a rare look inside one of the Navy’s newest warships: the future USS Utah, the Virginia-class fast-attack submarine designated SSN-801. In the interview this morning on Southern U-Talk on 8910 KDXU with Dale Desmond, Hornung described the unusual privilege of taking command of a brand-new submarine as it moved through the final stages before joining the fleet. That makes the assignment especially significant, because Utah is not just another vessel; it is the first Navy ship to carry the Utah name since the original USS Utah was sunk at Pearl Harbor in 1941. Hornung anticipates taking command of USS Utah sometime next year.

USS UTAH: VIRGINIA CLASS SUBMARINE

The USS Utah is part of the Navy’s Virginia class, a line of nuclear-powered fast-attack submarines built for a wide range of modern missions. According to the U.S. Navy, those missions include intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; anti-submarine warfare; anti-surface warfare; strike missions; mine warfare; and support for special operations forces. The class was designed to replace older Los Angeles-class submarines and to perform effectively both in deep-ocean and littoral, or coastal, waters. Virginia-class subs also feature advanced photonics masts instead of traditional periscopes, a more spacious control room layout, and modular construction that helps the Navy update the boats over time.

ALREADY CHRISTENED

For Utahns, SSN-801 carries both military muscle and symbolic weight. Construction on the submarine reached a major milestone with its keel laying on Sept. 1, 2021, and the boat was christened on Oct. 25, 2025. The Utah commissioning committee says the formal commissioning is the ceremony that will place the submarine into active Navy service after sea trials, delivery, and final preparations are complete.

BACKGROUND ON COMMANDER HORNUNG

Hornung has spoken publicly about what that responsibility means. At a 2024 change-of-command ceremony, he said returning the name Utah to the Navy’s active roster is “a sacred honor,” adding, “This name carries with it a legacy of bravery, sacrifice, and duty  a legacy we now have the privilege to uphold.” Hornung, a New York native commissioned in 2007, previously served aboard the USS Memphis, USS Newport News and USS Florida before taking command of the future USS Utah.

LISTEN HERE: COMMANDER HOURNUNG ON KDXU