WASHINGTON - The Navy celebrated a key milestone May 11 with Pre Commissioning Unit (PCU) North Dakota's (SSN 784) keel laying ceremony at General Dynamics Electric Boat's Quonset Point, R.I., facility.
The keel laying ceremony is the first major event for North Dakota as the submarine prepares for its commissioning in 2014. The ceremony was capped when North Dakota's sponsor, Katie Fowler, wife of retired Vice Adm. and North Dakota-native Jeffrey Fowler, had her initials welded onto a metal plate, which will be permanently affixed inside the hull of the ship.
"We are tremendously honored by Mrs. Fowler serving as the North Dakota's sponsor," said Rear Adm. (sel.) Michael Jabaley, Virginia class program manager. "Not only is the keel laying an important first milestone in the life of the ship, it also serves as the start of a very special bond between the sponsor, her boat, and her crew."
The second U.S. Navy ship named after the state, North Dakota is the 11th submarine of the Virginia class and the first of the Block III construction contract. As the lead submarine of the Block III contract, North Dakota is the first to realize the design changes that resulted from the Virginia class Cost Reduction Program. Chief among these are the introduction of the Large Aperture Bow and the Virginia Payload Tubes. Both of these changes lowered acquisition costs while improving the submarine's capabilities.
"North Dakota's keel laying is the first of several milestones that will bring North Dakota to the fleet," said Rear Adm. David Johnson, program executive officer for submarines. "Our Navy/industry shipbuilding team continues to drive down cost and schedule and we expect North Dakota to continue this heritage of delivering quality undersea assets ahead of schedule and ready to execute missions of national importance."
North Dakota is being built under a teaming arrangement between General Dynamics Electric Boat and Huntington Ingalls Industries - Newport News. Upon completion, the submarine will be 7,800-tons and 377-feet long, have a 34-foot beam, able to dive to depths greater than 800 feet, and operate at speeds in excess of 25 knots submerged. North Dakota is designed with a nuclear reactor plant that will not require refueling during the planned life of the ship, reducing lifecycle costs and increasing underway time.
The North Dakota keel laying precedes the June 2 commissioning of PCU Mississippi (SSN 782) in Pascagoula, Miss. The subsequent major Virginia-class milestone will be the PCU Minnesota (SSN 783) christening this fall.
Virginia-class submarines are designed to dominate the world's littoral and deep waters, while conducting anti-submarine;
anti-surface ship; strike; special operation forces; intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; irregular warfare; and mine warfare missions. Their inherent stealth, endurance, firepower, and sensor suite directly enable them to support five of the six maritime strategy core capabilities - sea control, power projection, forward presence, maritime security, and deterrence.