 Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the key lane of the Submarine Delaware, SSN 791. I'm Jennifer Dunn, Director of Communications at Newport News Shipbuilding, and it's my pleasure to welcome you here this morning and to introduce our platform guests. If everyone could please rise as the official party takes its place on the platform. Please welcome Commander Brian Hogan, Commanding Officer, Delaware. And Douglas Lemon, Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Newport News. Rare Admiral Michael Jabley, Program Executive Officer, Submarines. Vice Admiral Joseph Malloy, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations. Mr. Jeff Geiger, President, General Dynamics Electric Boat. Vice Admiral Joseph Tafalo, Commander, Submarine Forces. Congressman Randy Forbes, Fourth Congressional District, Virginia. Congressman Bobby Scott, Third Congressional District, Virginia. Governor Terry McCullough, Governor of Virginia. Retired Navy Captain and U.S. Senator Thomas Carper from the state of Delaware. Mr. Matt Mulheran, President, Newport News Shipbuilding. Now, please welcome Mr. Hunter Biden, who is accompanying his grandmother and Delaware sponsor, Dr. Jill Biden. Ladies and gentlemen, please remain standing for the Parade of Colors and the National Anthem. The Parade of Colors is by Submarine Squadron Six Color Guard. This will be followed by the National Anthem, performed by Newport News Shipbuilder Mr. Antoine Barnes. Color Guard, Parade the Colors. Oh say can you see by the dawn, what so proudly whose broad stripes and bright stars. Color Guard, retire the colors. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Newport News Shipbuilder Deidra Bethay to deliver the invocation. Good morning. Let us pray. Do you have any father we come before you, first of all, to give you glory, honor, and praise. Thank you, God, for this day that marks the kill-laying for the construction of the Submarine Delaware SSN 791. As we gather for this historical moment, we invoke your holy presence to be among us. Grant our thoughts, Lord, our actions, and our very being according to your will. We acknowledge, Lord, the trust and the confidence that you have placed in this organization to build such vessels to your honor and to your glory. While we enjoy and celebrate 130 years of rich history in shipbuilding, we do not take for granted the opportunity that is now before us. While the unseen may awake us, Lord, and everyday challenges may overshadow us, we thank you for your abiding promise to always be with us. We acknowledge the gift of your presence and the participation in this endeavor. God, we ask that you would keep us safe, keep us strong and steadfast. Without your wisdom, strength, and compassion, we can do nothing. As your word says, accept the Lord, build the house they labor in vain that build it. Accept the Lord keeps the city the watchman wakes in but in vain. Our commander in chief, President Barack Obama, and all of the leaders in these United States. Our ship sponsor today, Dr. Jill Biden, the program participants, as well as our executives, our managers, our supervisors, our engineers, our designers, our steel craftmen, and all of the shipbuilders, along with the many family members who will invest their time, their energy, and seek to give you their very best. Thank you for those both near and far who make up this team. Finally, God, we ask that you be mindful of the men and women in uniform who serves in Hombway. So this great nation of ours might continue to be free, brave, and the land of democracy. God, make the world safer, and may your peace abide as this ship shall in months to come sail proudly among the seven seas. Let all our efforts here today and tomorrow be found pleasing in your sight. It is in the name of the one who orders our steps and meet us with mercy. Jesus, amen. Please be seated. And now, please welcome Newport News Shipbuilding President, Mr. Matt Mulheran. Good morning. Distinguished platform guests, ladies and gentlemen, and especially our ship sponsor, Dr. Jill Biden and her grandson, Hunter. It is my privilege and great honor to welcome you to the keel laying ceremony for the Submarine Delaware SSN 791. I'd like to thank Dia Drubb Bethe for delivering the invocation and to the Submarine Squadron Six Color Guard and the U.S. Fleet Forces Brass Quintet for their roles in opening our ceremony with such patriotic spirit. I would also like to offer my special thanks to Antoine Barnes for his performance of the National Anthem. Thank you all. There are a few guests in our audience today that I'd like to specifically recognize. For our local and state government, please welcome Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, Ralph Northam, Delegate David Yancey, Delegate Marcia Price, Newport News Mayor McKinley Price, and City Manager Jim Borey. I would also like to take a moment to remember State Senator John Miller, who passed away earlier this month. He was a genuine friend to our shipbuilders and our shipyard. He always attended these events, and he is truly missed. Well, today's ceremony marks the official construction milestone in the life of our nation's newest submarine, and we are very pleased you all could join us on this special occasion. It is most appropriate that this submarine is named for Delaware, a state whose motto is liberty and independence because this submarine will provide both. Delaware is the 18th submarine of the Virginia class and the ninth to be delivered by Newport News Shipbuilding. Between me as a bow section, although we had to cover the internal workings for security reasons, this one small section helps put into perspective just how large, extraordinarily complex and secret these machines are. Delaware is continuing a tradition of excellence that began when we laid the keel for Texas, our first Virginia class submarine back in 2002. Hard to believe that's been 14 years ago. Since then I've had the opportunity to personally ride sea trials for the last four submarines built here at Newport News. This is when we take the submarine to sea for the first time, submerge and test her performance. Sea trials have always been amongst the proudest moments in my career. When you're underway taking the submarine to test depth, it really hits home how skilled the Navy crew that operates these boats are. For me, though, it also demonstrates the skill and craftsmanship of our shipbuilders. Shipbuilding isn't glamorous work, it's tough, it's dirty, and in fact when you work submarines, it means working in very tight spaces. But it's rewarding work. Each day we come to work, we are contributing to something much larger than ourselves. I strongly believe that our shipbuilders here and at Electric Boat are just as critical to the defense of our nation as the crew that will sail this submarine. For the past 130 years, we've taken this responsibility to heart. Our founding principle is built upon always delivering a quality product above all else. As we celebrate today's keel laying, a tradition that can be traced back to the first ship built for the United States Navy. Our sponsor will authenticate the keel by writing her initials onto a metal plate. A shipyard welder will then weld her initials onto the plate, which will be permanently affixed to the submarine before delivery to the Navy. While Jill Biden's initials may be the only ones visible today, this submarine also carries with it the names of her shipbuilders. Shipbuilders who sign their name to each and every job they perform. Shipbuilders who put safety and quality above all else. And shipbuilders who I have the utmost respect for and complete and total confidence in. Not just during those sea trials I mentioned, but each and every day. Thank you. Now it is my honor to introduce our next speaker, Governor Terry McCullough. Governor McCullough is making progress to reach his goal of building a new Virginia economy through investments in education, transportation, and job creation. In his first 27 months in office, he's made 645 economic development announcements with more than $11 billion in capital investment, more than any previous Virginia governor. And he's been a strong and committed advocate for our active duty military, veterans, and their families. It is my pleasure to introduce the honorable Terry McCullough, the 72nd Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Thank you, buddy. Thank you, Matt. Thank you. Good morning, everybody. Welcome to the greatest state and the greatest nation on earth, the Commonwealth of Virginia. Thank you. What an honor to have you all here. Dr. Biden, it is such an honor for us to have you here. Let me also thank you. She is actually an employee of the state. As you know, she is an English professor up at Northern Virginia Community College. So it's an honor to have you here. Hunter, it is great to have you here with us today. Senator Carper, thank you very much for all the great work you do in the Senate for our military. I want to thank our congressional delegation for being here today. Let's wish Bobby Scott a happy birthday today, folks. It is his birthday. Let me just say very briefly, as Matt mentioned, our state is very strong today. I just announced last week a 4% unemployment rate, the lowest we've had in nearly 10 years, lowest of any state in the southeast of the United States of America. We've had 24 straight months of job growth. Initial unemployment claims just hit a 41 year low. And I just announced the largest budget surplus of Virginia history. And I took that money and we put a billion dollars into education and to help our veterans here in the Commonwealth of Virginia. So we love our military. As the proud son of an Army captain and a father of a newly minted second lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps, Dorothy and I understand the importance of our military and what it means here for the Commonwealth of Virginia. We want to make sure that Virginia is the best. We have the second most active duty military of any state in the United States of America, 12th population, but second most active duty. And I'm proud to say, per capita, more veterans in any state in the United States of America, more female veterans, more veterans under the age of 25 than any state in America. And I was proud to be the only governor and the first governor to announce that Virginia has functionally ended veteran homelessness in the state of Virginia folks. I also want to thank all the military personnel behind me last year, Virginia, the number one recipient of military outlay $6.7 billion. So let's give all these folks a great round of applause. And most importantly, I want to thank the greatest shipbuilders in the entire world that we have here right at Newport News, 130 years, 800 ships they have built, including 60 subs. So let's give our shipbuilders a great round of applause. No other state can say this. 28,500 shipbuilders, one out of five in the United States of America are here in the Commonwealth of Virginia. When you add in all the other folks, total population of employment is 65,000. So as governor of the great Commonwealth of Virginia, and let me say I know Delaware is always called the first state. Let me just remind everybody. In 1607, when those three ships came from England, they didn't go to Delaware, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Florida. No, they came here to Jamestown, Virginia folks. We are the beginning of the United States of America. So let me wish the USS Delaware great speed in 40 months today when she starts plying the seas around the globe, and no one knows exactly where she or any of her sisters are underneath our sea. Let me be very clear that will strike fear into those that would ever harm anyone in the United States of America or our allies. And when you come to this area and you see those majestic aircraft carriers in our subs, there is no question why the United States of America is the greatest nation on earth. Thank you very much. Thank you, Governor. And now it's my honor to introduce our next speaker. He leads the great shipbuilders of Electric Boat, our teammates in the Virginia class submarine program. In fact, his shipyard just laid the keel for Delaware's sister ship, South Dakota, earlier this month. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the president of General Dynamics Electric Boat, Mr. Jeff Geiger. Thank you, Matt. And good morning, everyone. It's a real honor to be here today representing the 14,000 men and women of General Dynamics Electric Boat. And I'd like to begin by recognizing all of the very distinguished platform guests, and especially, of course, Dr. Jill Biden, sponsor of the Submarine Delaware. Dr. Biden, it is an honor to have you join our submarine community in such an important role. I'd also like to recognize the outstanding crew of Delaware under the command of Commander Brian Hogan. The officers and crew of Delaware have spent years studying, training, and honing their skills to operate this magnificent vessel. Their dedication and commitment will serve them well as they work with the shipbuilding team to prepare the seventh ship named Delaware for future service to our nation. Lastly, I want to acknowledge the essential contributions made by our supporters in Congress year in and year out. Their advocacy enables the efficient construction of these ships, which are so critical to our country's defense. Today's Keele Lane represents a continuation of a tradition that dates back centuries, and marks an important milestone in the life of the Delaware, the ceremonial start of its construction. Getting to this point took a great deal of work by a great many people. The shipbuilders of Newport News and Electric Boat are supplier base and United States Navy. The shipbuilders of Electric Boat share with our Newport News teammates the honor and pride in being an important and invested partner in the Navy Industry Summary Enterprise, which is responsible for delivering vessels as remarkable as the Delaware. It is a responsibility we take very seriously and one that drives us to continuously develop better and more effective ways to succeed. Through the efforts of this team, the Virginia program has distinguished itself by setting new standards for cost-effective design and construction and advanced mission capabilities for the Navy. Our record of success, however, is never taken for granted. To build upon it, we must earn each new day. It's now a busy time for our team, and we're fortunate to be engaged in a sustained period of increased submarine production. With today's event, over the past 12 months, we have celebrated three Keele lanes, two christenings, and a commissioning across six Virginia-class ships. The newest, the Delaware, stands out as a remarkable example of applied and integrated technology, along with the ships of the class that have come before it. Over service lives extending more than three decades, these ships will routinely operate hundreds of feet below the ocean surface, a hostile and unforgiving world. In terms of capability, there is more science packed in a submarine than any other ship in the world. Submariners have a saying, there's room for everything needed aboard a submarine except a mistake. As shipbuilders, we understand that the lives of our sailors and the security of our nation are at stake, and we understand the importance of our common goal, an unwavering commitment to safety, quality, capability, and continuous improvement. All in support of the most dominant undersea force in the world, the United States Navy submarine fleet. Thank you very much. Well, thank you, Jeff. Our next speaker represents Virginia's fourth congressional district. He serves as chairman of the House Armed Services Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, and is a strong supporter for our nation's military and of the work we do at this shipyard. Please welcome my friend, Congressman Randy Forbes. Governor, Senator, Dr. Biden, Matt, Jeff, and all of our distinguished guests on the platform. It's wonderful to be here with you and all of you today, and I too want to single out my colleague and friend, Congressman Bobby Scott, not because it's his birthday. Governor, he's had quite a few of those. But because this is his district and because he works so hard for the men and women who build these wonderful ships. And Bobby, thank you for all the good work that you do consistently. Bobby and I were just here last month for the christening of the USS Washington, and it was good to see how fast Newport News is churning out our Virginia-class submarines on budget and ahead of schedule. In the 1990s, by contrast, we went without delivering a single submarine. And 20 years later, we are suffering the consequences. We have to continue letting the American people understand this is not a spicket that you turn on and you turn off at the whim of any particular poles that are going around. This is about the future of the world as we know it, and we have to consistently put out these incredible vessels. Just a few weeks ago, Admiral Harris from Paycom told Congress and our committee that we were only able to meet about 62% of the demand that the COCOMs had and that he had for these attack submarines. And the situation is going to get worse. Today, we have 52 SSNs, but we'll be down to 41 in 2029. We expect China at that date to have twice as many. That's not an acceptable outcome for us. The undersea domain is an area of enduring strategic advantage for the U.S. And submarines like this provide assured access and an ever-growing range of capabilities that help us deter aggression. We need to make the decisions today that will help us prepare for the future. That's why our subcommittee two weeks ago and the full Armed Services Committee this week authorized $20.6 billion for shipbuilding. That's the highest level of shipbuilding since the Reagan-Layman era. In addition to that, we called for the Navy to assess the submarine industrial base and report to Congress on opportunities to produce more of these Virginia attack submarines to mitigate that looming SSN shortfall. And we added new cost-saving authorities to the National Seabase Deterrent Fund that will help save the taxpayer and the Navy billions on the Ohio replacement and afford other things like more Virginia attack submarines. And equally important, we believe that we made the down payment on building a 350 ship Navy for the United States of America. Laying the keel of an attack submarine like this is a good thing. Having the industrial base to build the finest attack submarine in the world is a good thing. Building the greatest ships the world has ever known on schedule and on budget is a good thing. And defending the greatest nation in the world is a good thing. But we couldn't do number four if we couldn't do the first three. So today we thank you for doing all four and on behalf of the American people we thank you for job well done. Well thank you Congressman Forbes. Our next speaker is a career submarine officer who has served on both fast attack and ballistic missile submarines in both the Atlantic and Pacific. As commander submarine forces he is responsible for a force made up of 25,000 personnel comprising 90 submarine crews, their submarines and associated supporting organization. Please join me in welcoming Vice Admiral Joe Tafalo. Matt, thank you for that very kind introduction. It is always great to be back here at Newport News. Dr. Biden, Governor McCullough, Senator Carper, Congressman Scott and Forbes, distinguished platform guests, shipbuilders and friends and family of the USS Delaware. Certainly a momentous day and I'll tell you after the governor's remarks I'm ready to re-enlist sir, I'll tell you, I'll fire it right up. I've been a submarineer for 33 years and it never ceases to amaze me what the fantastic shipbuilders of Newport News and Electric Boat can do. It would be very easy, too easy for us to take for granted the results that they make routine every day. In my commander's intent publication to the submarine force I say that being a submarineer is about trust. These shipbuilders have earned the trust of generations of submarines by building the best submarines on the planet. Thank you and congratulations. Commander Hogan, your crew has done a great job partnering with the fantastic team here at Newport News. As Delaware's commanding officer the ultimate responsibility, authority and accountability rests squarely on your shoulders. There is no position in our Navy that exercises more freedom of action requires more trust and deserves more respect. Train your crew well, Skipper. There is much for you and your crew to do and the country needs you out there. There is a huge demand. Congratulations on your outstanding performance to date and keep charging. Today we celebrate a significant milestone in Delaware's journey towards joining the Virginia class fleet. Her unique capabilities allow us to continue to meet ever increasing mission demands and guarantee that the United States submarine force maintains our undersea superiority throughout the world. Dr. Biden, what a privilege to have you here today as the ship's sponsor. On behalf of the 25,000 submariners in the force I welcome you to the submarine family. The submarine force is often called the silent service. Your choice as a submarine sponsor is fitting because your joining forces initiative challenges American citizens to recognize another silent service, our military families. Our family members, just like a submarine, are often on scene, unseen, doing the work that nobody else can do, enabling our military personnel to do their very demanding jobs. As a military mom, you understand firsthand how difficult it is to have a loved one deployed overseas, especially for children. In fact, you literally wrote a book about it. Dr. Biden, today you continue your tradition of a lifetime of service to family, community, and nation as sponsor of the Delaware. The sponsor can be such a positive influence on the ship, crew, and families, and Delaware is fortunate to have you as their sponsor, a sponsor who understands that crucial role. Soon your military family will grow by 136 hard-charging and talented submariners and their families. Your dedication, compassion, and service are an inspiration to your new crew and ship and a vibrant testimony to courageous and stalwart military families across the nation. Thank you, ma'am. Congratulations again to shipbuilder, crew, and sponsor. May God bless the United States Submarine Force, and may God bless the United States Navy. Thank you very much. Thank you, Admiral. And now it gives me great pleasure to welcome someone who has been a good friend and supporter to our shipbuilders for many years. He currently is serving in his 12th term in the U.S. House of Representatives. We are proud to be located in his district. Honored to have him back for today's ceremony. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Congressman Bobby Scott. Thank you, Matt and Jeff. There's got to be somebody else in here who was born on April 30th. If you weren't born on April 30th, can you stand up? Anybody out there? All right, all right. Happy birthday. I'd like to welcome all of the platform participants, especially Dr. Biden, the ship's sponsor, Senator Carper. And it's always great to have the hardest-working governor in the nation visit Newport News. Welcome, Governor McCullough. It's been one of my great honors as your representative in Congress to attend these events, ushering in the construction phase of another great Navy vessel. I've represented the shipyard for many years. First in the General Assembly, and now in the House of Representatives. And I've had the privilege of watching men and women in this shipyard build many of the most advanced ships in the world for the United States Navy. Today's ceremony highlights our nation's commitment to a strong and robust Navy. And I'd like to personally commend my friend and colleague, Congressman Randy Forbes, for his diligent work as chairman of the Sea Power and Projections Forces Subcommittee. As he mentioned, they just marked up the Defense Authorization Bill, and he outlined the great expansion in Navy shipbuilding the best in decades. And let me tell you that did not happen by accident. It happened because of the leadership of Congressman Randy Forbes. Give him another round of applause for that kind of leadership. Now, that leadership is critical, because the Navy must be ready to respond to the challenges that we face, and this requires advanced, well-built ships. And the Virginia-class submarine is the most advanced submarine in the world. And it's always a great day to recognize another phase in the construction of these impressive ships. Like the 17 sister ships, the Delaware will be a fine example of our dedication to ensuring that we maintain our sovereign ability to sail the oceans unfettered and to protect American interests all over the world. And the citizens of the great state of Delaware can be justifiably proud that this new ship will carry their state's name. It often goes without saying, but the real work of getting the Delaware built rests on the shoulders of the world's best shipbuilders. The men and women who build and maintain these vessels are critical to the safety of our sailors and the defense of our nation. These shipbuilders, many of whom are fourth and even fifth generation shipbuilders, have always answered the call to construct America's finest ships and to maintain and repair them when necessary to ensure that our fleet is ready to face any national defense challenge. If history is any guide, these ships will be delivered, the best ships and these ships will be delivered on time and within budget. And just as a keel is a backbone of this vessel, these ships will form the backbone of our Navy. I commend all of the shipbuilders for their hard work that you've done in the past and I commend you for all of the work that you'll be doing in the future and particularly on the Delaware. It's time for another great American ship and I thank you for all of that great work. Thank you. Thank you, Congressman. Happy birthday and happy birthday to this young lady out here as well. Our next speaker is Senator Tom Carper, who is here today representing the great state of Delaware. Throughout his career, Senator Carper has earned a reputation for distinguished service to our nation. After serving in the U.S. Navy and the Naval Reserve, he began a career in public service and has been elected to statewide public office in Delaware 13 times. It all began more than 30 years ago when he was elected to the first of three terms as Delaware State Treasurer. Since then he served for five terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, went on to serve as the 78th Governor of Delaware for two terms, and in 2001 he was elected to the United States Senate. When Senator Joe Biden stepped down to become Vice President in 2009, Tom Carper became Delaware's Senior Senator. He is ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and has been described as an effective and nonpartisan leader admired and trusted on both sides of the aisle. Please welcome Senator, Senator, Senior Senator from Delaware, Tom Carper. Thank you, Matt. Good morning, Delaware. Thanks for that wonderful introduction. Sometimes when people, they trip over when they introduce me as a senior, they introduce me as a senior citizen, and I much rather be a senior senator. I much rather be Governor of Delaware. In Delaware you can only be Governor for eight years. I told Terry when he sat down, I said, you can only be Governor for four years here, that's right. Some of you heard me tell the story earlier. When I was seventh grader, 12 years old, grew up in Danville, Virginia, and came up here to, not to hear, but to Jamestown, to Yorktown, and we went over to Richmond, my seventh grade class, and we visited the Capitol, and I met the Governor of Virginia. Can you believe that? I shook his hand. He looked along like you. And he asked me, he said, well, what do you want to be, young man? And I said, well, I'd like to be Governor of Virginia. And he said, well, you know, you can only serve one term here. You may want to find a state you can move to, or you can serve two terms. So I found Delaware, and they signed me up, and the rest is history. I just want to say to Dr. Biden, to Hunter, give Hunter a big round of applause. Hunter Biden, Hunter, a man, very proud. To you, to Matt, and to Jeff, and our birthday boy, Bobby, we're asking you to reflect the glow. It only gets better, I can promise you. How old are you? No, you don't have to say when. Before, I can suggest a great theme song for them to sing on your 64th birthday. It says, when I get older, losing my, well, you haven't lost your hair yet, so you're good. You're good, man. There, there you go. I'll put your hands together for Jennifer Dunn. She's one of the people who have masterminded this, worked for her heart. You heard the voice of goddess, not the voice of God, but the voice of goddess when we were marched out on here to Randy and to Admiral. To follow, I told him and his wife a great story. I'm not going to repeat it again because I'm limited in my time, but maybe later we can share that story. All the other special guests that are here and those in the audience, I'm going to ask the crew of the USS Delaware to stand up. Officers, everybody stand up. Stand on your feet. Give them a big round of applause. Big round of applause. Dr. Biden and I were together with a fellow that she spends a lot of her time with, Joe, about a couple of years ago, Ray Mabus, our Secretary of the Navy. And Ray gave me a hat afterwards and it says, USS Delaware, SS791. When I signed my name, I signed my wife, Martha, I signed my name for years, Tom Carper, USS Delaware. USS Delaware. I just want to take a minute and just tell you the story of part of how we got here. Somebody wrote a letter to the news journal, paper only statewide, paper four or five years ago. And I said, you know, it's been about 100 years since a ship was launched, you know, this Navy ship launched, it bears the name of Delaware. Maybe we should do something about that. And our Congressman, John Carney, my colleague in the Senate, Chris Coons and I, wrote a letter to Ray Mabus four or five years ago and said, maybe it's time, maybe it's time. And we asked him to think about it and talk to him on the phone and engage with him. And a couple of years after that, I was standing with Joe Biden and Joe and Ray gave me this hat and said, we're going to build Delaware as a ship. And I'm an old Navy flight officer, served five years in a hot war in Southeast Asia. Another 18 is a P3 aircraft permission commander. And today when Martha and I parked my rental car out in the parking lot, we parked in a parking spot that said P3. How cool is that? And my job in the Navy, our job in the P3 world is to track Soviet nuclear submarines. That's what we did for years and years and years when we went over in Southeast Asia. And we would practice on the fast attack boats of the U.S. Navy, the ballistic missile boats. We would practice on our boats. We could never find them. Never find them. They were so good. They were so silent, so deep. But we could sure find the Soviets, which is a good thing. And a very good thing. But I spent a lot of my years trying to figure how to outfox the skippers of submarines, not U.S. because I could never catch them. But we're very proud of all of you. How many of you have ever been to Delaware? Raise your hand. How many of you got out of your car? Not just paid a toll on I-95. Get out of your car. I'll tell you this. Quick. This is Delaware 101. I'll be fast. Delaware 101. The letter C. The letter C defines our state. Started with corn. Used the corn to feed chickens. That powder mill up on the Brandywine River. It can be a pond company. Big chemical companies. So a chemical C. Corporations, half the New York Stock Exchange, half the Fortune 500 are incorporated in. You got it. Credit cards. If you got a credit card in your pocketbook or your wallet, 60% of the credit cards are issued by banks that have offices in Delaware. Thank you for charging. Thank you for charging. Coast. We got a bunch of coasts here in Delaware. We have a 26-mile coast on the Atlantic Ocean. I believe, if I'm not correct, more five-star beaches in those 26 miles, I think, than any state in America. Sea coast. Our last congressman was a guy named Castle. One of our great governors was Carvel. I got to be Governor Carper. Our congressional delegation is Carney, Crohn's, Carper. How did Biden get in there? How did Biden? I got it. Catholic. He's Catholic. Maybe that's it. Well, if you're ever driving up I-95, and you're there in the spring or summer, you may, if you're there in the evening, you'd probably see the lights from a baseball stadium. It's right on the riverfront. That baseball stadium sits at a place where, in World War II, 10,000 men and mostly women worked to build ships, destroy your escorts, troop landing ships, and other ships, hundreds of them to help win the war. And back in World War II, we had Delawareans who literally blocked the Brits from coming up to Delaware Bay and the Delaware River. They're coming after our powder works. We used to help provide powder and the gunpowder that we used to fend off the Brits in those days. War of 18, War of 1812, a guy named Commodore Thomas McDonough. He was a hero of Lake Champlain and we had another Delawarean, the guy named Jacob Jones, I believe, and he was the commander of the Wasp and took on the Brits, not too far from down here. Took him on and outgunned that man and captured, captured the British ship of war and hauled him away. And that was one of the many triumphs in 1812. You come up to Delaware Bay and Delaware wherever you come to a place where the Delaware Ocean, where the ocean meets the Delaware Bay, there's a place called Lewis, and it's one of the favorite places in a park called Cape and Lopin State Park, which used to be a naval social station. And our friends here in the Navy know what that means. Their help is providing the tracking information. So we sent P-3s out there to actually find a submarine somewhere. And so that was a big deal for us throughout the Cold War. And I mentioned the folks that built all those ships. We have naval heritage that we're proud of in our state. We're also proud to be to have the newest national park, I think, in America today. And it starts not very far from our train station. We come up on the train station. About a mile down the Christina River is a place where the first Swedes and Finns landed in America. They called it the colony of New Sweden. It's now Wilmington, Delaware. And about 10 miles down the road down to Delaware there's a place called New Castle. And it was in New Castle that a guy named William Penn first came ashore to America. And he brought with him a deed to Delaware, what became Delaware in Pennsylvania. But first we were all one. Right there at the New Castle, Delaware, 1776, June 15th, the legislature for Delaware declared, well, we gave Pennsylvania their independence. And we declared our separation from, not just Pennsylvania, but our separation from the British throne. And that was June 15th. About two weeks later, a guy named Cesar Rodney rode his horse from Dover, Delaware, all the way to Pennsylvania to cast a tie-breaking vote in favor of the declaration of independence. All the way down in the southern part of our state, Louis, Louis, Delaware, Dutch settlement 400 years old, Dutch settlement burned to the ground by the Brits, as a house, that house, the longest standing house in North America, we think, the longest standing house in North America. Come up the road a little bit to the Dover Air Force Base, and there's the home of a childhood home a guy named John Dickinson, who was a pin man of the Revolutionary War. He rode a lot of stuff that incited people and inspired people to take on the Brits. And you go up about another five or six miles to Dover, Delaware, it's a green. It's that green where a tavern called the Golden Fleece Tavern for 25 or so white guys gathered drinking hot chocolate for three days. And nice, I think that's what they were drinking. But they were considering the Constitution and had been drafted up in Philadelphia. And they said, are we going to ratify this Constitution or not? And ultimately they said, let's ratify it. Let's ratify this baby after three days in the Golden Fleece Tavern. And for one whole week, Delaware was the entire United States of America. And then we led in Virginia. And Pennsylvania and Maryland and New Jersey and all the others were proud of being the first state to ratify the Constitution. But the Constitution is just a a lot of wonderful words. I think it's inspired by God, but wonderful words on a piece of paper. And they've been made real by generation after generation of men and women who are willing to put on uniforms. Army guy the other day was giving me a hard time, he said, you know, Jaggedy for being in the Navy. And I said, look, look, look, you're in the Army, different uniforms, same team. Think about that, different uniforms. And I, when I listen to Bobby and Randy up here talking about each other and saying such wonderful things, give them a round of applause. Wouldn't that great? A great display of bipartisanship. I love it, just love it. Just love it. But the Constitution is only as good as men and women who back it up. And for generations men and women in uniforms, different uniforms with the same team have been backing it up. And all of us in Delaware are enormously proud that this day has come and look for it to be here for the christening about a year or so from now. I want to say a word or two about Jill and I'll sit down. You're saving my seat, Hunter? Okay. How many of you have ever met Jill Biden? She's here to be the sponsor and has been the sponsor of a fast attack submarine for a couple of years now. She's a runner, but it takes a fast runner, a fast runner to be able to be the sponsor and ultimately to christen a fast attack submarine. And she is a fast runner. She is a mom, raised three kids that any of us are proud to claim their own. How many grand children now? How many? Five grand children. I told her a story earlier. Christie Whitman once told me grand children are one of the few things in life that are not overrated. Jill agrees. Educator, Dr. Jill Biden. Dr. Jill Biden. Great educator in our state and now down in Virginia. Author, devoted doctor, wonderful wife, beloved mom, beloved really by the people of Delaware. If you look at a dictionary, you look up married up, every had the term married up, somebody married up. You look up the term married up in a dictionary. My picture, Joe Biden's picture. That's right. You think I'm kidding. And Joe likes to say, for people who are stuck with being married to people like us, he likes to say, for you, no purgatory. Straight to heaven. That would make them saints, wouldn't it? You look up saint, the word saint in the dictionary. Guess who's there? Martha Carper, Joe Biden. The last, woman of faith, woman of deep faith. We're actually members of the same Presbyterian church in Wilmington, Delaware, Westminster. And like some people, she actually lives her faith. She believes that we have an obligation to love other people, treat other people the way we want to be treated, to figure out what is the right thing to do and do it. And we're all one another's brothers and sisters. She's a great, a great supporter of the veterans in our country as well. And just a lovely, lovely human being, caring, loving person. We're lucky to know you and to be able to hang out with you and your family from time to time. And thank you for including us in this very special day. And the history of the state of Delaware, the state that started a nation. God bless you. And thank you, Senator. It is now my privilege to introduce our ship's sponsor and very special guest of honor. On November 19th, 2012, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabas announced that the second lady of the United States, Dr. Jill Biden, had agreed to serve as sponsor for USS Delaware. Serving as sponsor is a naval tradition and honor that represents a lifelong relationship and her crew. The sponsor has also said to invoke her spirit into the ship. With Jill Biden as Delaware's sponsor, this submarine will certainly go on to serve our military and our nation with patriotic enthusiasm and pride. Dr. Biden's military connections run deep and very strong. She is the daughter of a World War II Navy signalman. She is a proud military mom. She is Hunter's grandmother. And of course, she is also the wife of Vice President Joe Biden. Her support of the military goes far beyond the service of her family. She has co-sponsored with our First Lady Michelle Obama the National Initiative Joining Forces to ensure that service members, veterans, and their families have the tools they need to succeed throughout their life. Dr. Biden is a lifelong educator and works tirelessly to highlight the importance of community colleges to America's future. She is also passionate about raising awareness around areas of importance to women, including breast cancer prevention. And she does all this while continuing to teach as a full-time English professor at a community college in Northern Virginia. Ladies and gentlemen, please give a warm Newport News welcome to Delaware ship sponsor Dr. Jill Biden. Thank you very much. Thank you, Matt, for that kind introduction. I'd like to start by congratulating the entire Navy industry here at Newport News Shipbuilding and those up north at General Dynamics Electric boat division for your efforts in bringing this sub to life. American Shipbuilding is the best in the world. What you do is so vital to our national defense. And it's as good as you, the welders, rigors, machinists, engineers, metal workers, electricians, the outstanding tradesmen, specialists, and professionals at Newport News. Governor McCullough, Senator Carper, Martha, and Representative Scott and Forbes it's great to be here with you. As well as Vice Admiral Tofalo and all the distinguished naval officers here today. Commander Brian Hogan I know this is a special day for you too and I'm proud to be here to share this with you. These ceremonies are always special occasions but the Kiolang for this submarine is particularly meaningful to me. As a proud military daughter military mom and Delawarean I am proud to serve as it's sponsored. It's been nearly 100 years since the state of Delaware has had a Navy vessel bearing its name. It's been a very proud day for the first state and this great tradition of having civilians sponsored Navy vessels helps to cement the critical connection between our service members and the civilians back home who love and miss them. As a military mom and grandmother there is no one I would rather be with today the ones who stepped up to serve. I am always inspired by the sacrifice and resilience of our military and their families. The sailors who serve as the pre commission crew of this sub epitomize the ideals of honor, courage and commitment that define the United States Navy. No matter what challenges you face you serve with courage and distinction. 48 sailors and 7 officers make up the Delaware crew so far. You represent 27 states many of your spouses and children almost 60 kids are stationed with you in Virginia including the newest Delaware baby Jacob. 18 of you attended community college getting into submarine service is not easy. You have to understand complex systems and undergo intense training. As a community college teacher it's always great to see when community college students go on to do exceptional things. To the crew I am excited to begin this journey with you and I am honored to be your shipmate for life. I am deeply committed to serving all of you as well as you serve our country each and every day. You are the reason that we have the best most powerful military in the world. You go places human beings aren't supposed to be able to go guarding the depths protecting our seas and our shores. It's a huge sacrifice to leave your family and spend months at a time under the sea protecting us. It takes a special kind of tough determined and smart man or woman and we need you. So it's our duty to make sure that you have everything you need to stay safe and do your jobs. You need the very best equipment and advanced technology that we can provide and soon that will include the USS Delaware thanks to the ingenuity and skill of the ship builders before us. Five years ago this month when first lady Michelle Obama and I launched our Joining Forces initiative our mission was clear to give all Americans the opportunity to step up and show their support for those who sacrifice so much for our country. In this role I have been privileged to shine a light on the thousands of families who have taken on these challenges without complaint. So today I am excited to begin a lifelong relationship with this vessel and to see this pre-commissioning crew come together and form the Delaware family to go through exercises and sea trials to see the Delaware christened and ultimately commissioned. I am also looking forward to getting to know your families along the way. When I spoke to Commander Hogan a few weeks ago it was more than clear how proud you are Brian to lead the crew on this Delaware. I learned that your family has moved 12 times through your Navy service and this will be your fifth tour on a submarine. I'm sure that is also the case for many of the crew members and families. You all sacrifice to keep our country safe and I know it's not easy. That's why I believe we owe every thanks every day to those who wear the uniform but we also owe a debt of gratitude to their families as well. Behind every sailor is a family the spouses children parents, grandparents and friends. It's a great privilege to serve as a sponsor of this submarine but it's also very personal. As many of you know and has been mentioned the Bidens are a military family. My son Beau served in the Delaware Army National Guard for 12 years and deployed to Iraq for a year-long tour in 2009 and I couldn't be more proud to have his son my grandson Hunter here with me today. The Navy is a big part of my life. My father served in the Navy during World War II. He enlisted just a few months before his 18th birthday and served as a signalman in the Pacific and you know I still have his signalman pin. He took me, my mother and my four sisters to watch the Blue Angels at Willow Grove Naval Air Station to the Army Navy football games the 4th of July and on parades and on flag day there was always a flag waving outside of our front door. It was through these moments that he instilled in all of us a sense of patriotism and pride in the Navy. I'll never forget seeing as a little girl his picture in his dress whites proudly displayed by the front door of my grandmom's home. That picture still hangs in my home today. Now I'm part of this Navy family with the spouses the children and the crew of the USS Delaware and all who will build her. Today I am truly humbled. This is one of my life's greatest honors. Thank you. May God bless our service members and their families. And now the moment you've been waiting for the keel laying in authentication the welding of Jill Biden's initials will be performed by Mr. L.A. Britt L.A. Britt brings his began his career with Newport News Shipbuilding in 2004 when he was accepted into the company's apprentice school he completed his apprenticeship in 2009 today he's a welder who has worked on both aircraft carriers and submarines he currently works in the Virginia class program where he's helping to build several submarines including Delaware he's joined today by family and friends including his wife Laquisha and their three children Kasim, Jay Lynn and Layla please join me in welcoming Dr. Biden, Hunter Biden Senator Carper and Commander Hogan would join me we'll make our way to the weld area I hereby declare the keel of the United States Navy submarine Delaware truly and fairly laid Ladies and gentlemen please welcome back to the stage Mr. Antoine Barnes I'd also like to thank L.A. Britt for his great job welding Dr. Biden's initials before we go we have one final presentation if everyone else would sit and Dr. Biden would please would remain standing we know how important military families are to you our flower girl for today's ceremony is representing the crew of this submarine and their families she is a third grader at Shelton Park Elementary School in Virginia Beach and the daughter of Delaware's chief of the boat Ricky Herre hearing please welcome eight year old Hadley hearing thank you Hadley in preparation for today's ceremony Dr. Biden sent us her initials for our welder to practice with shipbuilders in our pattern shop have made a beautiful wooden plaque to display these practice initials here to present this special made gift is one of the shipbuilders who helped make it please welcome apprentice school graduate and pattern maker Zach Hudgens we hope these gifts will always remind you of today's ceremony and your special role in the life of the submarine Delaware and that ladies and gentlemen concludes our ceremony please remain seated for the departure of the platform guests thank you for coming and have a great day