Christening of
October 27, 2012 Newport News Shipbuilding
Welcome to Newport News Shipbuilding for the christening of Minnesota (SSN 783). Today is a historic occasion for our shipbuilders, the Navy, the state of Minnesota, and the Roughead family. We are happy you could join us to share in this special day as Sponsor Mrs. Ellen Roughead christens our nation’s 10th Virginia-class submarine. The Virginia-class program has been hailed as America’s model shipbuilding program, and the submarines themselves have been described as the “best ever” by Navy leadership. Upon her delivery to the Navy next year, Minnesota will continue this tradition while carrying with her the pride and craftsmanship of her shipbuilders, the spirit of her sponsor, and the strength of her crew. Please enjoy the ceremony, and the unique opportunity to witness one of the most complex, most lethal and most elegant machines up close and out of the water. I think you will agree that Minnesota embodies the very best of American manufacturing and innovation.
Matt Mulherin President Newport News Shipbuilding
USS Minnesota (BB-22), a 456-foot Connecticut-class battleship built and launched by Newport News Shipbuilding in 1905, was the second U.S. Navy ship named for the 32nd state. The Navy’s first USS Minnesota, a wooden steam frigate, launched in 1855 and served until 1898.
Minnesota SSN 783
Minnesota (SSN 783) will be the third U.S. Navy ship to bear the name of the 32nd state. It is the 10th Virginia-class submarine being built under a special teaming agreement between Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) and General Dynamics Electric Boat. Under the leadership of Cmdr. John Fancher, the Pre-commissioning Unit Officer-in-Charge, the current crew roster includes 128 enlisted men and officers. Since arriving at NNS two years ago to begin working alongside the submarine’s builders, the crew has also made several trips to the namesake state to visit with its citizens and participate in special events. From throwing the first pitch at a Minnesota Twins game to meeting the Teddy Roosevelt Rough Riders of the Minneapolis Club, the crew has made important connections with the people of Minnesota. On Dec. 16, 2010, Cmdr. Fancher and several crew members attended the unveiling of the ship’s crest, designed by high school student Jakob Bartels. Bartels’ design incorporates a seafaring Viking, the North Star, a blue background to represent Minnesota’s lakes, a band of maroon to represent the University of Minnesota, and a Latin inscription that translates to “From the North, Power.” Today’s christening brings the crew one step closer to living and working onboard the fast-attack submarine and taking her safely to sea.
Minnesota’s Shipbuilders Ask any Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) employee building Minnesota and they will tell you, the job has its challenges, but mostly rewards. From start to finish, shipbuilder pride and satisfaction for creating the most technologically advanced warship is undeniable. Machinery Installer Mitchell “Dude” Hilliard has worked on every submarine built at NNS since he arrived at the shipyard 30 years ago. “We’re building the Navy a good product that’s way ahead of schedule,” he said. “We’re giving them 100 percent of our abilities to build this submarine.” Hilliard describes the construction team as a “well-oiled machine.” The experience gained from building nine previous Virginia-class submarines has allowed NNS, and its construction partner General Dynamics Electric Boat, to build ships more cost-effectively and efficiently. “As we go along, we’re getting better and better,” said Fiber Optic Electrical Foreman Tony Middleton. “I look forward to launch and going down to the pier because I know we are almost at the end of our goal of delivering the ship to the Navy.” Keeping the end goal in mind is what drives NNS shipbuilders’ commitment to building the safest, highest-quality ships for the Navy. Welding Foreman and Apprentice Craft Instructor Kendall Ridenour said, “I’m so proud that my team and I have had a hand in building this ship that will protect our freedom. That’s why we build these ships.”
Minnesota Christening Program CEREMONIAL MUSIC United States Fleet Forces Band Conducted by Lt. C. S. White PARADE OF COLORS Commander, Submarine Squadron 6 Color Guard NATIONAL ANTHEM Mr. Phillip McCoy Insulator Newport News Shipbuilding INVOCATION Commander Tim Oswald Chaplain, U.S. Navy WELCOME REMARKS Mr. Matt Mulherin President Newport News Shipbuilding REMARKS The Honorable Betty McCollum U.S. House of Representatives 4th Congressional District, Minnesota REMARKS Mr. Kevin Poitras President General Dynamics Electric Boat REMARKS Vice Admiral Michael J. Connor Commander, Submarine Forces
REMARKS Mr. Mike Petters President and CEO Huntington Ingalls Industries REMARKS The Honorable Sean J. Stackley Assistant Secretary of the Navy Research, Development & Acquisition REMARKS The Honorable Bobby Scott U.S. House of Representatives 3rd Congressional District, Virginia PRINCIPAL ADDRESS AND INTRODUCTION OF SPONSOR Admiral Kirkland H. Donald Director, Naval Nuclear Propulsion REMARKS Mrs. Ellen Roughead Sponsor SPECIAL PERFORMANCE “Eternal Father, Strong to Save” Virginia Children’s Chorus CHRISTENING OF MINNESOTA (SSN 783) SPECIAL PERFORMANCE “This Land is Your Land” Virginia Children’s Chorus PRESENTATION TO SPONSOR Miss Greenleigh Stewart, Flower Girl CLOSING REMARKS Mr. Matt Mulherin
Principal Speaker
Ceremony Participants Mr. Matt Mulherin President Newport News Shipbuilding
Mr. Mike Petters President and CEO Huntington Ingalls Industries
Admiral Kirkland H. Donald Director, Naval Nuclear Propulsion Originally from Norlina, N.C., Admiral Kirkland Donald graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1975 with a bachelor of science in ocean engineering. He also holds a master’s degree in business administration from the University
The Honorable Betty McCollum U.S. House of Representatives 4th Congressional District, Minnesota
The Honorable Sean J. Stackley Assistant Secretary of the Navy Research, Development & Acquisition
of Phoenix and is a graduate of Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government Senior Executive Fellows Program. After completing his initial nuclear power and submarine training, he served on both attack and ballistic missile submarines, and commanded USS Key West (SSN 722). He has held various positions of increasing responsibility to include serving
Mr. Kevin Poitras President General Dynamics Electric Boat
The Honorable Bobby Scott U.S. House of Representatives 3rd Congressional District, Virginia
as Commander of the following organizations: Submarine Development Squadron; Submarine Group 8; Submarine Force 6th Fleet; Submarines Allied Naval Forces South; Fleet Ballistic Missile Submarine Force; Naval Submarine Forces; Submarine Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet; Allied Submarine Command; and Task Forces 84 and 144.
Vice Admiral Michael J. Connor Commander, Submarine Forces
Commander John Fancher Commanding Officer, PCU Minnesota (SSN 783)
His shore assignments include the Pacific Fleet Nuclear Propulsion Examining Board and the staff of the Director, Naval Nuclear Propulsion. He also served at the Bureau of Naval Personnel, on the Joint Staff, and as Deputy Chief of Staff for C4I, Resources, Requirements and Assessments, U.S. Pacific Fleet. He assumed his current duties as Director, Naval Nuclear Propulsion, on Nov. 5, 2004.
The Navy Hymn
Ellen Roughead
The song known to U.S. Navy men and
Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the daughter of
women as the Navy hymn is a musical
a proud World War II Navy veteran, Ellen Weflen
benediction originally written in the
Roughead grew up in the nation’s heartland,
1800s. It is a favorite of Sponsor Mrs.
Mulberry, Indiana. Graduating from Purdue, Ellen
Ellen Roughead, and she has chosen the
worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture as
following verses to be performed today by
an extension agent specializing in youth programs.
Sponsor
“Eternal Father, Strong to Save”
the Virginia Children’s Chorus.
She subsequently moved and taught high school at Booker T. Washington in Norfolk, Virginia. It was there she married Lieutenant Commander Gary
Eternal Father, Strong to save, Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,
Roughead, the love of her life.
Who bid’st the mighty Ocean deep
Throughout her husband’s career, to include the time as the wife of the Chief
Its own appointed limits keep;
of Naval Operations, her interest in education – particularly in informing Navy
O hear us when we cry to thee, For those in peril on the sea. Lord God, our power evermore, Whose arm doth reach the ocean floor, Dive with our men beneath the sea; Traverse the depths protectively. O hear us when we pray, and keep Them safe from peril in the deep. God, who dost still the restless foam, Protect the ones we love at home. Provide that they should always be By thine own grace both safe and free. O Father, hear us when we pray For those we love so far away. O Father, King of earth and sea, We dedicate this ship to thee. In faith we send her on her way; In faith to thee we humbly pray; O hear from heaven our sailor’s cry And watch and guard her from on high!
spouses and supporting and encouraging Navy children – was her strongest emphasis. Foreign travel and interacting with counterparts offered the opportunity to make international friendships and develop understanding and empathy among women in many countries. Ellen has given time to organizations and boards supporting Navy communities and sailors and their families for many years, including Meals on Wheels, Fisher House, Board of Armed Services YMCA, USO, Humana Military Healthcare Advisory Board and the Board of the Navy Marine Corps Relief Society. In leisure, she enjoys sewing, needlework, decorating, gardening, trying new recipes and walking two Labrador retrievers, Arleigh and Clancy. In all that Ellen has done, daughter Elizabeth Anna has been the center of her life and love. Elizabeth serves as Maid of Honor for Minnesota’s christening.
Elizabeth Roughead Maid of Honor
A 2009 graduate of Middlebury College, with a degree in biology, Elizabeth Roughead is the daughter of Gary and Ellen Roughead. She lives in Annapolis, Maryland and works in public health and emergency preparedness for C N A, a research and analysis organization. Her strong interests lie in conservation and sustainable living. Elizabeth is a dedicated equestrian and loves being outdoors (particularly in the winter!). In her spare time, she is an avid reader, loves to travel and enjoys running. She is currently attempting to add a dog to her collection of wacky animals.
“This Land is Your Land” Words & Music by Woody Guthrie
This land is your land, this land is my land From California to the New York island, From the redwood forest To the Gulf Stream waters; This land was made for you and me. As I was walking that ribbon of highway I saw above me that endless skyway; I saw below me that golden valley; This land was made for you and me. Refrain: This land is your land, this land is my land From California to the New York island, From the redwood forest To the Gulf Stream waters; This land was made for you and me. I’ve roamed and rambled and I followed my footsteps To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts; And all around me a voice was sounding; This land was made for you and me. Refrain twice: This land is your land, this land is my land From California to the New York island, From the redwood forest To the Gulf Stream waters; This land was made for you and me.
Land of 10,000 Lakes
Minnesota is a land of diverse, natural beauty. From millions of acres of northeastern hardwood forest to vast expanses of southwestern wheat fields, warm summers and long, cold winters, it is perhaps best known for its abundance of water. This “land of 10,000 lakes” is the origin of three great American rivers: the Mississippi, the Red River and the St. Lawrence. Lake Superior, the largest body of water in North America, is part of its 90,000 miles of shoreline (more than California, Florida and Hawaii combined). Even its name, meaning “cloudy water,” comes from the name given to a river by the Dakota Sioux Indians. The abundance of water makes Minnesota a fruitful agricultural state, holding the distinction of being the largest producer of sugar beets, sweet corn and farm-raised turkeys in the U.S. The state is also home to the Mall of America, the largest mall in the United States and the first one to be housed completely indoors. Minnesota is the 12th largest and 21st most populous state in the U.S. Minnesotans have made significant contributions to the defense of the U.S. Just three years after becoming the 32nd state, Minnesota offered the first troops to the Union armies during the Civil War, eventually providing more than 24,000 men. More than a quarter-million Minnesotans served in the two World Wars, and 68,000 served in Vietnam. Currently, more than 21,000 Minnesotans serve in the United States military, Reserve and National Guard.* As the first submarine ever to be named for the state, Minnesota honors both the spirit of America and the people of the North Star State. * U.S. Census Bureau, Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2012
Virginia-Class Submarine Facts: • 377-foot long nuclear-powered, fast-attack submarine • Capable of submerged speeds in excess of 25 knots • Able to stay submerged for up to three months at a time • Armed with Tomahawk Cruise missiles, MK-48 torpedoes, advanced mobile mines and an unmanned undersea vehicle • Built by Newport News Shipbuilding, a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries, and General Dynamics Electric Boat under a unique teaming arrangement
Minnesota (SSN 783) Facts: • Minnesota is the 10th ship of the Virginia class • Construction start: February 2008 • Keel Laid: May 20, 2011 • Christening: October 27, 2012 • Delivery: 2013 • Ship’s Sponsor: Mrs. Ellen Roughead, Minnesota native and wife of Adm. Gary Roughead, former Chief of Naval Operations • Number of shipbuilders working on Minnesota: as many as 1,000 • Officers and Crew: About 120 officers and crew; Commanded by Cmdr. John Fancher • Ship’s motto: Ex Septentrio, Virtus (From the North, Power) referencing the North Star State and the tremendous endurance and war-fighting capabilities of the Virginia-class submarine