SSN 778 New Hampshire to be commissioned Saturday

From a NavWarGames post :

The Navy's newest attack submarine New Hampshire (SSN 778) will be

commissioned Saturday, 25 OCT 2008, during a 10 a.m. EDT ceremony at

the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, ME.

SEN Judd Gregg will deliver the ceremony's principal address. The

ship's sponsor, Cheryl McGuinness of Portsmouth, NH, is the widow of

LCDR Thomas McGuinness, a veteran Navy pilot and co-pilot of American

Airlines Flight 11 which was flown into the North Tower of the World

Trade Center by terrorists on 11 SEP 2001. The ceremony will be

highlighted by a time-honored Navy tradition when McGuinness gives

the order to "man our ship and bring her to life!"

The fifth submarine of the Virginia-class, New Hampshire was

delivered eight months early thanks to the Navy's on-going cost-

reduction initiatives. This will mark the first time since 1996 that

the Navy has commissioned two submarines of the same class in the

same year -- USS North Carolina was commissioned in May.

Through their unique capabilities of stealth and endurance, Virginia-

class submarines directly enable the Maritime Strategy Core

Capabilities of forward presence, deterrence, sea control, power

projection, and maritime security. Equally adept at operating in the

world's shallow littoral regions and deep waters, New Hampshire will

significantly contribute to the mission areas of anti-submarine

warfare; anti-surface warfare; special operations forces; strike;

intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; irregular warfare;

and mine warfare.

CDR Mike Stevens, a native of Tacoma, WA, will become the ship's

first commanding officer, leading a crew of approximately 134

officers and enlisted personnel.

The 7,800-ton New Hampshire was built under a unique teaming

arrangement between General Dynamics Electric Boat and Northrop

Grumman Shipbuilding. New Hampshire is 337 feet in length, has a

beam of 34 feet, and can operate at depths greater than 800 feet and

at speeds exceeding 25 knots submerged. New Hampshire is also

designed with a reactor plant which will not require refueling during

the planned life of the ship, reducing lifecycle costs while

increasing operational availability. No. 897-08.

If you live close enough, I'm sure all the Pooners would love some ceremony pictures

More info on the Virginia class SSN (aka NSSN-Centurion) :

http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ship/nssn.htm

http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ship/docs/990100-nssn.htm

Image courtesy of Wikipedia :