Biden officially christened the boat in 2018, breaking a bottle of champagne on his bow during a ceremony at a Virginia shipyard, something Delaware Governor John Carney said lovingly on Saturday: “This bottle just exploded, it was something to see it “. Biden was named the ship’s sponsor during a Pentagon ceremony announcing the name of the future ship in 2012, when her husband was vice president. The sponsor of the ship, according to the US Navy Sponsorship Company, is named after the Secretary of the Navy and is someone who participates in the important milestones of the ship, such as its commissioning, decommissioning and baptism. The sponsor also has a “lifelong” relationship with the ship, its crew and their families. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the USS Delaware was launched submarine in April 2020 for the first time for the Navy, according to Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro, who noted on Saturday that “a large ship, a a large crew and a great state deserve this great moment in the sun. ” Saturday’s celebration represented the ship’s ceremonial launch, which is the seventh U.S. Navy ship to be named after the First State. The U.S. Navy has been supplying Virginia submarines since 1998 at a cost of $ 3.45 billion per vessel, the first of which was commissioned in October 2004, according to the Congressional Research Service. The Virginia nuclear class is capable of tracking and sinking enemy ships, launching Tomahawk missiles that can reach targets thousands of miles away, as well as conducting in shallow water and conducting reconnaissance missions or providing special forces such as the Navy SEAL. “Jill has been tracking the progress of the USS Delaware for years,” President Joe Biden said in a brief note Saturday, introducing his wife to the 1,100 people gathered in the Delaware Sun for the day’s work. “She always holds our army and their families in her heart. And that is no exaggeration, it is real.” Jill Biden is not the only first lady to donate a Navy submarine. Michelle Obama sponsored the USS Illinois and Laura Bush sponsored the USS Texas, both Virginia-class submarines. Hillary Clinton funded the USS Columbia, a Los Angeles-class submarine, when she served as First Lady. Near the end of her remarks, the first lady spent some time remembering Biden’s late son, Bo, a former Delaware attorney general, sharing a prayer he remembered saying every night while in Iraq. As he spoke, the President seemed excited and could be seen removing something from under the pilot’s sunglasses. After their statements, the President and the First Lady were taken on a tour of the submarine and posed for a group photo with its crew. Although it was not the focus of today’s events, the ongoing war in Ukraine and the high tensions with the Kremlin were on the minds of some who spoke. “While we certainly hope this USS Delaware will see nothing but calm waters, the events in Ukraine remind us that freedom still needs its defenders,” said Carney, the governor of Delaware. CNN’s Chandelis Duster contributed to this report.
