24 August 2008 Christening Ceremony Update

12 April 2008 Keel Ceremony

The NEW MEXICO’s Keel Authentication ceremony was held on 12 April 2008.

Click on the links below to view information about the Keel Ceremony Program:

Keel Ceremony Program

Keel Ceremony Agenda

Keel Ceremony Background Information

To view a video of the event click on:

http://www.nn.northropgrumman.com/media/video/m081041_384k.wmv

A news release about the Keel Ceremony can be viewed at:

http://www.nn.northropgrumman.com/news/2008/041208.html

To view a slide show of the Keel Ceremony click on:

http://www.nn.northropgrumman.com/vcs/ssn779keel/index.html

Keel Ceremony

A structural keel is a large beam about which the hull of a ship is built. The keel runs down the middle of the ship, from the bow to the stern , and serves as the foundation or spine of the structure, providing the major source of structural strength of the hull. The keel is generally the first part of a ship's hull to be constructed, and laying the keel is a momentous event in a ship's construction.

Accordingly, the keel-laying is a long-recognized naval tradition of laying down the backbone and critical strength member of a ship, thus marking the beginning of construction. Unlike other ships, submarines have no keels, but, for the ceremony’s sake, it is still called a keel-laying.

A key part of the keel-laying ceremony is the authentication, that is, the inscription of the authenticator's initials on the keel, followed by workmen moving the keel into position on the shipway , and the announcement that "the keel has been truly and fairly laid." For submarines, authentication usually takes place on one of the early sections of the hull. The authenticator is the ship’s sponsor who chalks her initials onto a steel plate. This inscription is then made permanent by a welder, as the sponsor declares the keel to be "true and authentic". The plate is later affixed to the interior surface of the hull.

NEW MEXICO is scheduled for her keel ceremony on April 12, 2008. She is also scheduled to reach her Pressure Hull Complete milestone on May 4, 2008. Because these two milestones are only three weeks apart the shipyard is contemplating a combination ceremony to authenticate the keel and symbolically celebrate the last weld of the pressure hull. So, f or NEW MEXICO, rather than marking the beginning of hull construction, our keel ceremony will mark the end.

It does not go without notice that NEW MEXICO’s pressure hull will be completed just one day before Cinco de Mayo (the fifth of May) , a festival that originated in Mexico, but that is now recognized throughout the world as a celebration of freedom and liberty.  The popularity of Cinco de Mayo has increased in recent years with parades, parties, dancing and mariachis. It is fortuitous that our Pressure Hull Complete coincides with a celebration of freedom and liberty – Viva Cinco de Mayo! 

19 August Ceremony Update:

NEW MEXICO’s keel authentication ceremony has been set for April 12, 2008. This date is very close to the Pressure Hull Complete construction milestone when the last major hull section, the so-called “supermodule” or 2B/5 mid section, completes construction of the submarine’s pressure hull.

The Christening ceremony may be in early 2009, with launch shortly thereafter, and delivery to the Navy in August 2009.

24 July Keel Ceremony Update:

NEW MEXICO's keel ceremony is tentatively scheduled for 4/12/08; however, the shipyard may combine this ceremony with the pressure hull complete (PHC) ceremony since PHC is scheduled around Cinco de Mayo.  The crew is hoping for an earlier keel ceremony so that the two events remain separated as has been the case for the five VA-class subs preceding NEW MEXICO.  In addition, NORTH CAROLINA's commissioning ceremony is being targeted for 5/3/08 with 4/26/08 as a backup date.  The Navy and the shipyard need a little more time to work out these schedule details.  We will keep this website updated with the latest news.

There are three main events in NEW MEXICO’s construction. The first event is the Keel Laying Ceremony which celebrates the start of construction. Since submarines really do not have a keel and since the Virginia class submarines are constructed in modules (see Construction Status) the Keel Laying Ceremony is typically held about mid-point in construction when one or more modules are available for the ceremony. NEW MEXICO’s Keel Laying Ceremony is expected to occur in October 2007. Once a date is selected it will be announced here.

The second event is the Launching and Christening. Unfortunately the days of a submarine sliding down the slipway into the water are long gone. Instead the submarine is moved to a dry-dock which is then flooded and she slowly becomes waterborne. It isn’t as exciting but it is a lot safer. The Christening is the traditional ceremony in which the ship’s sponsor breaks a bottle of champagne on the bow of the ship and formally names the ship by saying ‘I christen thee NEW MEXICO!” NEW MEXICO’s christening is expected to be held in February 2009.

After launching and christening USS NEW MEXICO will spend about at year pierside completing installation and testing of equipment. The final phase of construction is the at-sea trials termed the Alpha and Bravo Sea Trials during which NEW MEXICO will first submerge and conduct numerous tests to prove she is ready for delivery to the Navy.

• Alpha Sea Trials
• First-time submergence
• High-speed runs
• Operations at test depth
• Testing of most systems and components
• Bravo Sea Trials
• Final at sea testing
• Completion of system and component testing
• Demonstration of other capabilities

Once the sea trials are completed the NEW MEXICO will be delivered to the Navy. The delivery actually marks the official commissioning date and will be the date the ship will celebrate its “birthday.”

The final and most widely attended event is the Commissioning. Commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service but is usually used for the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military forces. The shipyard will deliver NEW MEXICO several weeks before the commissioning at the end of all sea trials and other construction testing. The shipyard is making such great progress on NEW MEXICO that the construction schedule has been accelerated six months.  She will be delivered to the Navy in October 2009 instead of the originally scheduled April 2010.

Please note that invitations to keel and christening ceremonies are dictated in part by space availability.  The keel ceremony will probably be limited to 350-400 and most will be shipyard workers.  Outside attendance may be limited to fewer than 30 people.  Christening is bigger - there were about 4,000 for TEXAS, less for NORTH CAROLINA, again, mostly shipyard workers.  NEW MEXICO has an added problem of emerging bow first from the assembly building which will leave less real estate for staging the event.  It has been suggested that the shipyard could feed streaming video back to New Mexico.  The commissioning is typically the event at which large numbers of guests are accommodated. This is the event you should plan to attend.