USS Jimmy Carter ( SSN - 23 ) USS " Jimmy Carter " ( SSN - 23 ) , the third and last " Seawolf " - class submarine , is the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for the 39th President of the United States , Jimmy Carter , who served in the United States Navy as a Communications Officer , Sonar Officer , Electronics Officer , Weapons Officer , and Supply Officer while on board . " Jimmy Carter " is one of the few ships of the United States Navy ( and only the third submarine ) to have been named for a person who was alive at the time of the ship ' s naming , and the first submarine to be named for a living former president ; Jimmy Carter is the only U . S . President to qualify in submarines . Ship history . The contract to build " Carter " was awarded to the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corporation in Groton , Connecticut , on 29 June 1996 , and her keel was laid on 5 December 1998 . Original schedules called for " Carter " to be commissioned in late 2001 or early 2002 , but on 10 December 1999 , Electric Boat was awarded a US $ 887 million extension to the " Carter " contract to modify the boat for highly classified missions and testing of new submarine systems , missions previously carried out by . " Jimmy Carter " was christened on 5 June 2004 . The ship sponsor was former First Lady Rosalynn Carter . " Carter " is roughly 100 feet ( 30 m ) longer than the other two ships of her class . This is due to the insertion of a plug ( additional section ) known as the Multi - Mission Platform ( MMP ) , which allows launch and recovery of ROVs and Navy SEAL forces . The plug features a fairing over a wasp - waist shaped passageway allowing crew to pass between the fore and aft sections of the hull while providing a space to store ROVs and special equipment that may need to launch and recover from the submarine . " Carter " has additional maneuvering devices fitted fore and aft that will allow her to keep station over selected targets in odd currents . Past submarines outfitted this way were used to tap undersea cables , to intercept communications of foreign countries . Intelligence experts speculate that the MMP may find use in similar missions as an underwater splicing chamber for fiber optic cables . On 24 January 2004 , Commander David Bartholomew , Jr . , commanding officer of PCU ( Pre - Commissioning Unit ) " Jimmy Carter " was relieved of command because of a " loss of confidence " in his ability " pending further administrative or disciplinary action as appropriate . " Captain Robert D . Kelso , deputy chief of staff of Submarine Development Squadron 12 at Naval Submarine Base New London , took temporary command of the PCU until a new commanding officer could be named . On 19 November 2004 , " Jimmy Carter " completed alpha sea trials , her first voyage in the open seas . On 22 December , Electric Boat delivered " Jimmy Carter " to the Navy , and she was commissioned 19 February 2005 at NSB New London . " Jimmy Carter " began a transit from NSB New London to its new homeport at the Bangor Annex of Naval Base Kitsap , Washington on 14 October 2005 but was forced to return when an unusually high wave caused damage while the submarine was running on the surface . The damage was repaired and " Carter " left New London the following day , arriving at Bangor the afternoon of 9 November 2005 . On 16 June 2006 , Commander David Honabach took command from Captain Kelso . On 17 January 2008 , " Jimmy Carter " was awarded the 2007 Battle Efficiency Award , commonly known as a " Battle E " . In June 2009 , Commander Brian Davies took command from Captain David Honabach . In November 2010 , the " Jimmy Carter " was revealed to have been the first US asset to provide intelligence after the North Korean bombardment of Yeonpyeong . Reports indicated that a UAV from the boat was used shortly after the incident .