Officials to Christen USS Indiana
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe U.S. Navy is set to christen Saturday its newest Virginia-class fast attack submarine, the USS Indiana. Vice President Mike Pence and U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly (D-IN) will be on hand for the ceremony, which will make the ship the third in Navy history to be christened with the name Indiana.
Pence, the former governor of Indiana, will deliver the principal address at the ceremony. Construction on the ship began in 2012 through an arrangement between General Dynamics Electric Boat and Huntington Ingalls Industries-Newport News.
When complete, the ship will be 377 feet in length, weigh 7,800 tons and will be able to travel at more than 25 knots submerged. It will have "the capability to attack targets ashore with highly accurate Tomahawk cruise missiles and conduct covert long-term surveillance of land areas, littoral waters or other sea-based forces," according to the Navy.
"The christening of the future USS Indiana brings this technological marvel one step closer to joining the world’s preeminent submarine force," said Sean Stackley, acting secretary of the Navy. "Thanks to the hard work, dedication and unparalleled skill of our nation’s shipbuilders, who continue to produce the finest submarines in the world, our Navy will continue to dominate the undersea domain long into the future."
The christening ceremony is scheduled to begin at 11:00 a.m. Saturday. You can view a live stream of the event by clicking here.