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 newsubmarine systems, missions previously carried out by USS Parche (SSN-683).^[1] 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 theMulti-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.^[2]

Carter has additional maneuvering devices fitted fore and aft that will allow her to keep station over selected targets in odd currents.^{[citation needed]}Past submarines outfitted this way^{[citation needed]} 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.^[3][4][5][6]

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 US 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 andCarter 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.^[7]

On 17 January 2008 Jimmy Carter was awarded the 2007 Battle Efficiency Award, commonly known as a "Battle E".^[8]

In June 2009 Commander Brian Davies took command from Captain David Honabach.

In November 2010 Jimmy Carter was revealed as 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.^[9]

Carter 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 USS Pomfret (SS-391).^[10] Jimmy Carter is one of the few ships of theUnited 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 President of the US who had qualified in submarines.

(REF: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Jimmy_Carter_%28SSN-23%29)