General Dynamics to Christen the Submarine
General Dynamics Electric Boat
will christen Hawaii (SSN-776), the U.S. Navy's newest and most advanced
nuclear attack submarine, at a ceremony at its shipyard here on Saturday,
June 17.
Gov. Linda Lingle, of Hawaii, is the ship's sponsor. The event's
principal speaker is U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawaii), a recipient of
the Medal of Honor. Cmdr. David A. Solms, a 1985 graduate of the University
of Colorado, is the ship's commanding officer.
The Hawaii is the third ship of the Virginia class, the first U.S. Navy
combatants designed for the post-Cold War era. Unobtrusive, non-provocative
and connected with land, air, sea and space-based assets, Hawaii and her
sister ships are equipped to wage multi-dimensional warfare around the
globe, providing the U.S. Navy with continued dominance in coastal waters
or the open ocean.
Electric Boat delivered the first submarine of the class, USS Virginia
(SSN-774), to the Navy in October 2004. With its construction partner
Northrop Grumman, the company has contracts to build another nine Virginia-
class ships; a total of 30 ships are planned.