Keel-Laying Ceremony for Virginia-Class Submarine Washington (SSN 787)

Huntington Ingalls press release.

Photos - Huntington Ingalls

With weld shields in place and sparks flying, Newport News Shipbuilding, a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries (NYSE:HII), hosted a keel-laying ceremony Saturday for the future USS Washington (SSN 787), a Virginia-class submarine named for the Evergreen State.

The submarine’s sponsor is Elisabeth Mabus, daughter of Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus. Acting as the keel authenticator, during the ceremony she chalked her initials onto a metal plate. Her initials were then welded onto the plate, which will be permanently affixed to the submarine as a symbol of her relationship with the ship, its shipbuilders and crew.

“I look forward to watching this boat come together from steel and skill,” Elisabeth said. “I look forward to christening it, I look forward to commissioning it, but most of all, I look forward to meeting the men and women who will make up the crew.”