ATLANTA — Although Atlanta is located quite a distance from the ocean, a naval vessel will soon carry its name once again.

On Wednesday, U.S. Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro revealed that plans are underway to construct a nuclear attack submarine designated as the USS Atlanta.

The timeline for the submarine’s construction, entry into service, and projected costs were not disclosed.

Earlier this August, the Navy allocated a contract worth $1.3 billion to General Dynamics Electric Boat in Groton, Connecticut, to initiate procurement of materials for this and other submarines slated for future production.

In recent years, the Navy has followed a trend of naming new submarines from its Virginia class after various cities, including Baltimore, San Francisco, and Miami.

This new submarine will mark the fifth vessel in the history of the U.S. Navy to bear the name of Georgia’s capital city.

The inaugural vessel was a Confederate ironclad captured in 1863, which was later refurbished for Union use during the Civil War.

The last ship to carry the name USS Atlanta was a Los Angeles-class nuclear attack submarine that was active from 1982 until 1999.

“It has been 25 years since the Navy has had a ship named after the proud legacy of the city of Atlanta,” Del Toro stated during a speech at the Carter Center in Atlanta.

He also paid tribute to the naval service of former President Jimmy Carter, who has just reached the milestone of 100 years.

Carter is distinguished as the only U.S. President who served as a nuclear submariner, and he is already honored with the USS Jimmy Carter, a Seawolf-class submarine commissioned in 2005 that remains active.

The sponsorship of the new USS Atlanta will be undertaken by former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who has held roles within President Joe Biden’s administration.

Del Toro remarked, “And wherever she sails, she will represent not only the legacy of the proud ships who bore the name USS Atlanta before her, but also the thousands of Atlantans who have honorably and faithfully served the United States in uniform, as civil servants, and as activists to better our great nation.”