USS Charlotte (SSN-766)
USS "Charlotte" (SSN-766), a , is the fourth ship of the United States Navy to be named for Charlotte, North Carolina. The contract to build her was awarded to Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company in Newport News, Virginia on 6 February 1987 and her keel was laid down on 17 August 1990. Sponsored by Mrs. Mary McComack, she was launched on 3 October 1992 and commissioned on 16 September 1994. She arrived at her homeport of Pearl Harbor on 17 November 1995. History. On 29 November 2005, "Charlotte" arrived in Norfolk, Virginia, having taken the northern  route from Pearl Harbor, under the Arctic ice cap. Along the way, she surfaced at the North Pole through 61 inches of ice, a record for a . On 24 October 2007, "Charlotte" returned to Pearl Harbor from Norfolk Naval Shipyard after nearly two years in a Depot Modernization Period. "Charlotte" has completed a total of five Western Pacific deployments. In February 1998, she was deployed to the Persian Gulf as part of a multinational military buildup of naval, air, and land forces that included more than 30 American warships and two carrier battle groups. "Charlotte" and the other American and  British warships were deployed as a deterrent in case Iraqi President Saddam Hussein failed to honor his commitment to the United Nations to allow arms inspectors into Iraq. She completed a six-month deployment to the Western Pacific on 13 May 2016. Section::::"Charlotte" in fiction. In Tom Clancy's 1994 book "Debt of Honor", USS "Charlotte" is sunk by the Japanese sub "Harushio" along with her sister ship . USS "Charlotte" also makes an appearance in Dan Brown's 2001 novel "Deception Point", where it plays an important role taking covert missions to the Arctic. USS "Charlotte" is featured alongside sister  ship "" in the 2013 John Ringo novel "Under A Graveyard Sky."