5 | 18 | 2015
A weekly publication of Newport News Shipbuilding
NNS Lays Keel for Indiana With more than 500 guests looking into a submarine unit as the ceremony backdrop, Newport News Shipbuilding celebrated the keel laying of Virginia-class submarine Indiana (SSN 789) on Saturday. The submarine’s sponsor is Diane Donald, wife of retired Adm. Kirkland Donald. As the keel authenticator, Donald chalked her initials onto a metal plate, which were welded into the plate by NNS welder Heather Johnson. The plate will be permanently affixed to the submarine, serving as a symbol of Donald’s enduring relationship with the shipbuilders, the submarine and the crew.
“I am confident that the shipbuilders of Newport News and their partners at Electric Boat, along with the hundreds of suppliers that provide equipment and craftsmanship unmatched in the world, will extend their legacy of delivering the very best ship,” she said. Ceremony participants included Vice Adm. Michael J. Connor, commander, Submarine Forces; Stephen Trautman, deputy director, Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program; Matt Mulherin, president of NNS; and Jeffrey S. Geiger, president of General Dynamics Electric Boat.
Connor stressed the quality and importance of the Virginia-class program at NNS and Electric Boat. “We talk every six months now about yet another milestone in a record of producing submarines ahead of schedule, under cost, highest quality ever, as if it were easy,” Connor said. “It’s not easy. And as we go forward, if we’re going to continue to do that, your effort here needs the support of the entire country in terms of steady predictable budgets.” The ceremony took place on Armed Forces Day, a holiday established by President Harry Truman for citizens to thank U.S. military... CONTINUED ON PG 2
Builders Win USCAA Small College World Series.
Primary Air Search Radar Successfully Reinstalls on Lincoln.
OSHA Recertifies NNS as VPP Star Worksite for the Next Five Years.
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