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Manila, Jan 31 (IANS) A US nuclear attack submarine, which was the first to launch Tomahawk missiles in an Iraqi operation in 2003, will arrive in the Philippines Friday for a routine port visit, Xinhua reported. The USS Cheyenne (SSN 773) will be at the former US naval base in Subic Bay in the northern Philippine province of Zambales, the US embassy said Thursday. The submarine will be there to replenish supplies as well as offer its crew an opportunity for rest and relaxation. The USS Cheyenne was named after the town of Cheyenne in Wyoming state. It belongs to the US Navy's Seventh Fleet and is home-ported at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and was commissioned in 1996. Cheyenne is more than 360 feet long and weighs more than 6,900 tonnes when submerged. It is one of the most capable nuclear attack submarines in the world. Cheyenne's enhanced war fighting capabilities include vertical launch cruise missiles and Submarine Advanced Combat System. It was the first ship to launch Tomahawk missiles in Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003.
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