NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — The keel of the nation’s 14th Virginia-class attack submarine named for Washington state is being laid at Newport News Shipbuilding.
The milestone in the USS Washington’s construction is scheduled to be marked Saturday at the shipyard, a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries.
Elisabeth Mabus, daughter of Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, is the ship’s sponsor.
During the ceremony, the ship’s sponsor authenticates the keel by chalking her initials onto a metal plate. The initials are then welded onto a plate that is permanently affixed to the ship.
The 7,800-ton, 377-foot-long submarine, SSN-787, will have enhanced stealth, sophisticated surveillance capabilities and special warfare enhancements.
A naming ceremony was held in Seattle on Feb. 7, 2013.
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