First Lady Laura Bush smashed a bottle of champagne to christen the Navy’s newest nuclear-powered submarine Texas (SSN 775) in front of a cheering crowd of 4,500 people at Newport News shipyard July 31. Secretary of the Navy Gordon England joined a number of dignitaries, including Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas, who delivered the ceremony’s principal address. “It is entirely fitting that USS Texas will become the latest bulwark, and one of the most powerful, in our arsenal of democracy,” said Hutchison. “When she sets sail, she will do so with 22 million Texans and our nation’s First Lady at her side. Mr. Named to honor the 28th state admitted to the union, Texas is the fourth ship of the U.S. Navy to carry the name since the original Texas was commissioned in 1895.