NNS welder Alex VanCampen etched sponsor’s initials onto a metallic plate, signifying the keel of SSN 802 as being “truly and fairly laid.”
NAVSEA stories that senior Navy leaders and shipbuilders gathered at HII-Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) Wednesday, Aug. 2, to attend a keel-laying authentication for the longer term Virginia-class nuclear submarine USS Oklahoma (SSN 802).
The keel laying signifies a significant milestone within the lifetime of a ship the place the ship begins to transition from design to actuality. The future USS Oklahoma would be the twenty ninth Virginia Class Submarine and the primary Block V submarine. It is the second Navy vessel, and the primary submarine, to be named for the state of Oklahoma.
“Today represents a culmination of hard work and skill performed by a talented shipbuilding workforce and a strong foundation for future sailors who will patrol the deep seas aboard Oklahoma in service of our nation,” stated Capt. Mike Hollenbach, Virginia Class Program Manager at NAVSEA’s Team Submarines.
“We enjoy participating in Navy traditions like this one because they remind us of the important role we play in our nation’s defense,” NNS President Jennifer Boykin stated. “The nuclear submarines we build help ensure our peace and freedoms, and we take great pride in being a nuclear shipyard.”
The ship’s sponsor is Mary “Molly” Slavonic, an Oklahoma native. Slavonic has lengthy supported each the state of Oklahoma and the Navy. She labored alongside her husband, former appearing Under Secretary of the Navy Greg Slavonic, in constructing the USS Oklahoma (BB 37) Memorial in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, to honor the 429 sailors and Marines who died aboard the battleship in the course of the Dec. 7, 1941 assault on Pearl Harbor.
During Wednesday’s authentication, NNS welder Alex VanCampen etched Slavonic’s initials onto a metallic plate, signifying the keel of SSN 802 as being “truly and fairly laid.” The metallic plate will stay affixed to the submarine all through its life.
