Group of Wives and Significant Others in front of American Flag
Half-Way Night Celebration

Wives and significant others celebrate Half-Way. See “What’s New With The Boat” for more information.

Half-Way Letter
Half-Way Letter

The crew reached the Half-Way point of deployment” Learn more in the “What’s New” section.

USS Illinois at Port
USS Illinois at Port

USS Illinois (SSN-786), is a Virginia-class submarine. Virginia-class submarines are built to dominate the world’s littoral and deep waters.

return-sea-slide
Returning from Sea Trials

September 1, 2016

Crew with the boat in Electric Boat dry dock
Crew with the boat in Electric Boat dry dock

“None More Brave”

PCU (pre-commissioning unit) ILLINOIS under construction
PCU (pre-commissioning unit) ILLINOIS under construction
Virginia Class Attack Submarine
Virginia Class Attack Submarine

The USS Illinois

The USS ILLINOIS (SSN-786) is the 13th Virginia Class nuclear submarine and part of the block III design. She was built by General Dynamics at the Electric Boat shipyard in Groton, Ct. She is only the second U.S. Navy ship to be commissioned with the name “USS ILLINOIS” since a battleship with that name was commissioned in 1897. She was Commissioned on October 29, 2016 and transited thru the Panama Canal to her home port, Pearl Harbor, Hi. arriving just before Thanksgiving 2018.

Learn More

The 786 Club

Thank you for visiting our website and learning more about the 786 Club. The first thing you might wonder about is the name. What’s the significance of “786” in the Club’s name? 786 is the hull number of the boat. The boat’s full name is, USS ILLINOIS (SSN 786). All caps in the name is important and SSN stands for Submersible Ship Nuclear. This is the Navy’s designation for a general purpose, attack submarine.

Learn More About the 786 Club
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Become a Member, Make a Donation

The 786 Club is a civilian, all-volunteer, 501(c)(3) organization, with the vision to create, “A Lifetime Alliance Between Crew and Citizens”.  Membership is open to anyone interested in showing support and appreciation to the sailors and families serving on the USS ILLINOIS.  The Club provides a thoroughly unique way to have a personal experience with the officers, sailors and families who protect our way of life.

More about Membership and Donation