 Good morning ladies and gentlemen. It is my distinct honor and privilege to welcome you to the port of Wilmington for the commissioning commemoration of the USS Delaware. I am Lieutenant Commander Adam Parkinson, the ship's executive officer. On behalf of the crew, your submarine Delaware, I would like to express our sincere gratitude for joining us here today. Before our celebration begins, please silence your cell phones. Thank you. We are here today to commemorate the commissioning of USS Delaware, the 7th ship to bear the name of the first state. The first USS Delaware was a 24-gun sailing frigate of the United States Navy that had a short career in the American Revolutionary War, as the British Royal Navy captured her in 1777. She was built under the 13th December 1775 order of the Continental Congress in the yard of war with coats of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, under the direction of the Marine Committee. The second USS Delaware was a ship that served the United States Navy and was designed by naval architect William Dottie and built in Philadelphia Naval Yard in 1794 as a merchant ship Hamburg packet. The Navy purchased her on May 5th, 1798. Captain Stephen Decatur was appointed to command and outfit her for sea. Delaware crews to protect the American merchant shipping from privateers. She guarded convoys during their approach to Philadelphia and New York, patrolled the West Indies and escorted convoys in Tavana. The third USS Delaware was built in 1861 at the Harlan and Hollingsworth Iron Ship Building Company of Wilmington, Delaware. She was a steamer acquired by the Union Navy for use during the American Civil War. She had a very active naval career as a gunboat for over three years, and after the war served as a revenue cutter for 37 years. The fourth ship to be named for the first state, the USS Piscataqua, a screw steamer was lost on 11 June 1866 by Portsmouth Navy Yard. She was commissioned on 21 October 1867 with captive Daniel Ommond in command. On 16 December 1867 she sailed for the East Indies via the Cape of Good Hope arriving Singapore on 18 April 1868. Serving as the flagship for the Asiatic nation she visited ports in China, Japan, and the Philippines. From 1868 to 1869 a civil war raged in Japan. During the course of this war the Piscataqua protected the lives of United States citizens and American interests. On 15 May 1869 her name was changed to Delaware and on 23 August 1870 she departed Singapore for the United States. She arrived in New York on 19 November and was decommissioned on 5 December 1870. The sixth Delaware was a Dreadnaught battleship of the United States Navy, the lead ship of her class. She was laid down in Newport News Ship Building in November of 1907, launched in January 1909, and completed in April 1910. The sixth ship to be named for the first state Delaware was armed with the main battery of 10 12-inch guns all on centerline making her the most powerful battleship in the world at the time of her construction. She was also the first battleship of the US Navy to be capable of steaming a full speed for 24 continuous hours without suffering a breakdown. Delaware served the Atlantic Fleet throughout her career. In the years immediately following World War I the United States, Britain, and Japan all launched huge naval construction programs. All three countries decided that a new naval arms race would be ill advised and so convened the Washington Naval Conference to discuss arms limitations which produced the Washington Naval Treaty signed in February of 1922. Under the terms of article two of the treaty, Delaware and her sister North Dakota were to be decommissioned as soon as the new battleships Colorado and West Virginia then under construction were ready to join the fleet. On 30 August 1923, Delaware accordingly entered dry dock in Norfolk Navy Yard. We are honored to continue the tremendous legacy established by the previous ships to proudly bear the name Delaware. The new Delaware moored before you affectionately referred to as a boat by members of the submarine community and the crew will soon join America's silent service. Delaware is a Virginia class submarine and with her sister ships she represents a revolution in submarine design, construction, and mission capability. Brimming with leading edge technology and advanced engineering this vessel brings versatility and firepower to the fleet. Delaware and the Virginia class are among the most effective platforms in the United States Navy and this warship takes another step forward in advancing the superiority of our submarine force. Capable of operating in the far corners of the world's oceans undetected while connected to air, sea, and land-based forces these submarines are equipped to wage multi-dimensional warfare around the globe. Delaware's adaptability makes it highly responsive to changing mission requirements and provides the nation with capabilities required to be a decisive factor in any conflict. In addition to anti-submarine warfare and anti-surface warfare, Delaware will support surveillance, special operations, and covert strike missions. Thank you all for allowing each of us the privilege to serve our nation as part of your Navy while proudly bearing the name Delaware. Construction began on the submarine you see behind me in September of 2013 and it was christened on October 20th 2018 in Norfolk, Virginia. Due to the global pandemic by the orator of the secretary of the Navy she was commissioned administratively and without a traditional ceremony on April 4th of 2020. She is the first ever ship to be commissioned while under water. The Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research Development and Acquisition, the Honorable James Hondo-Gerds made a promise to our crew, our sponsor, and the people of Delaware that we would have a traditional U.S. Navy ceremony. Today the Secretary of the Navy, the Honorable Carlos Del Toro honors that commitment. The USS Delaware is tested in battle ready. We're all very proud to serve the newest attack submarine in the United States Navy. The commissioning ceremony is a time-honored tradition that began with the commissioning of the Navy's first ship, a captured British schooner the Margarita in 1775. Since then thousands of ships have undergone to this transition from silent hall to fully alive warship. My shipmates are crew here after known as plank orders are in formation and ready. Will the guests please rise and remain standing for the arrival of our official party honors the presentation of colors our national anthem and the invocation. Ladies and gentlemen our platform guests. Mr. John Riley USS Delaware commissioning committee Captain Matthew Boland United States Navy commander submarine squadron 12. Rear Admiral Barry Black Chaplain Corps United States Navy retired and chaplain to the United States Senate our ceremony chaplain. The Honorable Mike Perzicki Mayor of the City of Wilmington Delaware. Mr. Kevin Graney President General Dynamics electric boat. Ms. Jennifer Boykin President Newport News Shipbuilding Executive Vice President Huntington Ingalls Industries. Admiral Daryl Caudill United States Navy Commander United States Fleet Forces Command. Admiral Michael Gilday United States Navy the 32nd Chief of Naval Operations. The Honorable Carlos Del Toro the 78th Secretary of the Navy. The Honorable Lisa Blunt Rochester United States Representative at large State of Delaware. The Honorable Christopher Coons United States Senator State of Delaware. The Honorable Thomas Carper United States Senator State of Delaware. The Honorable John Carney Governor State of Delaware. Ladies and gentlemen our ship sponsor Dr. Jill Biden First Lady of the United States escorted by Senior Chief Petty Officer Travis Grammer the Chief of the boat. Ladies and gentlemen the Honorable Joseph R. Biden Jr the 46th President of the United States of America escorted today by Commander Matthew Horton Delaware's commanding officer. Ladies and gentlemen honors to the Honorable Joseph R. Biden Jr. Platform ready to advance the colors. Tire the colors. We'd like to thank the United States Navy Band, Navy Submarine Base New London Groton Connecticut Saluting Battery and the United States Navy Ceremony Guard Battalion Color Guard for their participation in our ceremony today. Ladies and gentlemen Chaplain Black will deliver the invocation. Would you join me in prayer? Eternal Father strong to save. We thank you for this beautiful Delaware day for the presence of our President and First Lady and for the majesty of this ceremony. We're grateful for the USS Delaware SSN 791 Lord use this Virginia class fast attack submarine as a guardian for freedom and a deterrent to aggression. Give wisdom to Commander Matthew Horton and Lieutenant Commander Adam Parkinson as they provide leadership to the crew of 136 plank owner sailors. Give these sailors aboard this submarine and optimistic outlook and a vigorous work ethic. Make them poor in misfortune and rich in blessings. Give them enough challenges to keep them humble enough hurt to keep them humane enough failure to keep their hands clenched tightly in yours and enough success to make them certain they are walking with you. Do for us all more than we can ask or imagine according to your power working in and through us and Lord we continue to pray for the Ukrainian people. We pray in your sovereign name. Amen. Thank you Chaplain Black. Will the guests please be seated. Delaware parade rest. Ladies and gentlemen the Honorable John Carney. What a beautiful day in the first date. This indeed is a day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Reverend Black, President and First Lady Biden, Secretary del Toro, Admiral Gouda and Admiral Caudall, Commanding Officer Horton, Lieutenant Commander Parkinson, Chief of the Boat Grammar, all the crew of the boat, other distinguished guests here on the riser, members of the Congressional Delegation, other elected officials to the crew and family of the USS Delaware. To our visitors, welcome to Delaware. To our President and First Lady, welcome home. This is a big and special day for our state. I'm so glad to see Senator Carper here on this stage but didn't see him up here. I was going to suggest we send a party out in the submarine to look for him. In addition to being a recovering governor, Senator Carper is a recovering Navy captain. It seems like a lifetime ago that I joined First Lady Biden, Senator Carper in Newport News, Virginia in September of 2018, to christen this ship. Dr. Biden did an impressive job, as impressive I've ever seen in smashing that bottle of champagne against the ship. She really made it, Mr. President, and that bottle just exploded. It was something to behold. Since that time, I've been so inspired by the crew and their leadership. First Commander Hogan and now Commander Horton, as we've watched their progress, training and learning everything about their new home on the sub. They even came to a University of Delaware, Blue Hen's football game. So they're learning what they need to know about our state. And it was quite a moment at half time of the game. Watching the Blue Hen fans react as they saw and recognize the sailors on the field in front of them. Finally dawned on them who they were and what they stood for. Quietly at first. And then with a rising crescendo of applause, the fans took to their feet for a standing ovation. It was quite a powerful moment. The people of Delaware have embraced this ship and especially this crew. I was so excited to join Commander Officer Horton for a tour of the ship yesterday. And I got to tell you, I was simply blown away. Not only by the incredible technology and industrial craftsmanship on this boat, but most importantly by the talent and commitment of every crew member. From the food mess to the control room, the service and sacrifice of every sailor on this ship is incredible. And we all salute you. We are so lucky here in Delaware to be a coastal state. So we're actually able to have the privilege of our namesake ship gracing our shores. The ship's motto is first defenders of liberty. And it's fitting for a ship named after the first state to bear that motto. And it's in keeping with the role of a long line of USS Delaware's dating back to the Revolutionary War. And while we certainly hope this USS Delaware will see nothing but calm waters, the events in Ukraine remind us that liberty still needs her defenders. Senator Carper no doubt will tell you about the very Delaware way in which this whole day has come about. So while that while it's been a long time coming, we couldn't be more excited and proud to have this ship bearing our state's name. I want to thank John Riley and everyone who worked over the last three years to make this day a reality. And most important, I'd like to acknowledge and thank all of Delaware's veterans, especially our Navy veterans and those still serving today. This ship reminds us all of your service and sacrifice. The crew of the USS Delaware joins you today in becoming part of Delaware's proud patriotic military history. And as they used to say in Congress, I'll yield the rest of my time to the senior senator from Delaware, Senator Tom Carper, who you'll hear from later. Thank you, Governor Carney. Ladies and gentlemen, the honorable Carlos del Toro. Good morning, Delaware. What a great day. What a great Navy day. Before I introduce the guest speaker, I think I should take just a moment because yesterday I asked a great chaplain black if he would actually say a little bit of an extra prayer for good weather. And on the way here on the bus, I asked him, chaplain, would you please just say a little prayer for fair winds? And I think he's come through on both occasions. So how about a round of applause for Chaplain Black? Dr. Biden, thank you for all that you have done as a leader, as an author, as an educator to care for our service members and military families throughout the years. The part of the Navy and our entire military is much stronger because of Dr. Biden's leadership and your empathy, not just for our military, but for all Americans. President Biden, thank you for your staunch defense of freedom around the world. As a refugee who once fled from a communist country, I could not be prouder of the example that you said as our commander in chief. And I am proud to serve as your secretary of the Navy, sir. Governor Carney, Senator Carpers, Senator Coons, Representative Blunt Rochester, thank you for all you do as well every day to support our Navy and Marine Corps team. As the first warship to be commissioned beneath the waves, USS Delaware is already a trailblazer in her own right. Delaware's quiet entry to our fleet in April of 2020 symbolizes the stealth of our silent service. But a great ship, a great crew, and a great state deserves this great moment in the sun. So bravo Zulu to Commander Horton, Lieutenant Commander Parkinson, and Senior Chief Grammar for your success so far. And I thank the entire crew of the USS Delaware for the missions that you've already accomplished in service to our nation, and the many more that follow in your future. The sailors who power undersea fleet are an elite breed. They're skilled, they're disciplined, and they're determined. They make enormous sacrifices, achieving amazing things over the horizon and under the waves. I thank you all. I especially thank your families for your service to our nation. I wish you all fair wins in following seas. And now it is my pleasure to introduce our keynote speaker, Senator Tom Carper. Tom Carper, Senator Tom Carper, is the last Vietnam veteran serving in the United States Senate. He has a retired Navy captain as the governor stated earlier, and he was a naval flight officer for more than 20 years. He has been elected to statewide office 14 times, served as Delaware State Treasurer, Congressman, Governor, and now its senior United States Senator. He currently chairs the Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works and co-authored major portions of the landmark infrastructure bill signed into law by President Biden in this December. He is also a senior member and a former chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. On a personal level, Tom Carper is also the son and nephew of a Navy Chief Petty Officer and the grandson of Gold Star mother whose son was killed in a kamikaze attack on his carrier in World War II at the age of 19. Husband of Martha for 36 years, and father of three sons. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you our keynote speaker and longtime champion for the building and naming of the USS Delaware Senator Tom Carper. Please remain standing. It's just kidding. It's the Marines over there that are still standing. Thank you, Mr. Secretary, for your kind introduction. And more importantly, thank you for all that you and your team have done to make this day and this event possible. Good morning, Delaware. Good morning, USS Delaware. All right, there you go. Shift fonts for Joe Biden and your plus one President of the United States, Delaware's Joe Biden. Thanks for bringing him with you, Jill. Mr. President, welcome home. Another round of applause. Go ahead. Give it to him. Both of them. Both of them. Governor John Carney, Chris Coons, my wingman in the United States Senate. Lisa Bluntrodchester, our wing woman in the U.S. House of Representatives. Senator Chapman, Barry Black, Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Gilday, Mayor Mike Prezicki, Lieutenant Governor Bethany Hall Long, and County Executive Matt Meyer. And a warm Delaware welcome to the crew members of the USS Delaware, led by commanding officer Matt Horton, Executive Officer Commander Adam Parkinson, and Chief of the boat, the Cobb. Let me hear you say Cobb. There you go. Chief of the boat, Travis Grammer. And a huge Delaware welcome to we have family members here that come from all over the country to be with us today. Huge Delaware welcome, please, to the family members of this crew. Thank you for sharing your loved ones with our country. Let's give them some love. Give them some love. And while we're at it, if you're a veteran, if you're a veteran of the military service or serving today in any branch of our armed forces in this country, on your feet, please. If you can stand on your feet, please. Just give them a great round of applause for our veterans, Navy, Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coasties, National Guard. And thank you to everyone who's worked so hard for weeks and even years to make this amazing event possible. Including members of my own staff, the Department of the Navy team, Secretary of State Jeff Bullock and his team, part of Wilmington Navy League and the many generous donors whose support has been a godsend. Let's give them all a nice round of applause. God bless you all and thank you. As many of you may know, SSN 791 is not the first Navy vessel to bear the name Delaware. First USS Delaware was launched in 1776. Its role delaying the British fleet's approach to Philadelphia and thus impeding the ability of the British Army to resupply in their battle against us for our war of independence. The 6th U.S. Delaware was completed in April of 1910 armed with 10 12-inch guns. It was the most powerful battleship in the world. Go ahead. Over 100 years would pass before another U.S. Naval vessel would bear the name USS Delaware. Then one day in 2012, I came across a letter to the editor in a local paper by a Delaware named Stephen Lonzo who noted that it had been a long time since a naval vessel named after our state had sailed the high seas. I thought about it for a while and after several weeks gathered my staff together and said, let's do something about this. The very next the week I was on the phone with the secretary of the Navy Ray Mabers, like me, former governor, longtime friend. I explained the situation to him. He graciously heard me out and three months later he called back to say that over the next couple of years several ships brand new Virginia class submarines would be built and the first one off the line would be named the USS Delaware. Ray is the longest serving secretary of the Navy. He can't be with us today. He's at home in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. Patriot if there ever was. Ray, if you're watching this, if you're live streaming this, if you're watching this, just know we love you. Give them another round of applause. Thanks a million, Ray. Ray Mabers, thank you for everything. Before I go any further, let me just take a couple of minutes to introduce the USS Delaware to the people of Delaware and after doing that I'll briefly introduce the state of Delaware to the crew of the SSN791. Then we'll have lunch. No, he won't. We're kidding about the lunch. The USS Delaware is a Virginia class fast attack submarine as you know. Delaware carries 26 Mark 48 torpedoes which are able to conduct the subs more traditional missions of tracking and sinking, if necessary, enemy submarines in a wide range of surface vessels. Delaware is also designed for versatile operations in shallow waters close to land performing reconnaissance missions and delivering special forces, think Navy SEALs. It's also configured to launch Tomahawk cruise missiles which can strike targets a thousand miles away with pinpoint accuracy. This is one hell of a fighting machine. To our adversaries, let me just say this, don't mess with the USS Delaware. As it turns out, there are 136 crew members across aboard the USS Delaware. They hail from 20 states in our country as far away as Hawaii and Alaska. The crew includes 15 officers and 121 enlisted men of whom a dozen or so are cheap petty officers like my dad was. With that said, and having introduced the crew of the USS Delaware to the people of Delaware, let me take a minute now to introduce Delaware to the crew of the state that they whose name they bear. Delaware is comprised of three counties and one million people. We're 100 miles long from north to south and 50 miles from east to west along the Maryland border. Native Americans including the Lenape Indians lived here for hundreds of years before the Dutch arrived some 400 years ago and established Lewis where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Delaware Bay. Later on in 1638, the first Swedes and Finns sailed right by this very spot, right behind it, right behind this fund, made a right turn, a left turn to go head west on an unnamed river and they named it the Christina River after the Sweden's 12 year old child queen. Where Wilmington now stands today, they established the colony in New Sweden. The colony in New Sweden was what became Delaware, became Wilmington. The church they built there in Wilmington and the colony is believed to be the longest serving church, continuously serving church in North America. And they're now, believe it or not, they're more Swedish Americans than there are Swedes in Sweden. Then in 1682 William Penn would sail up the Delaware, just behind us again, up the Delaware, under the bridge, no the bridge wasn't there then. On his way to Penn's Landing, some 25 miles north of us, carrying within the deeds from the King of England to what would later become the colony of Pennsylvania and the lower three counties. That would be us. But the real Penn's Landing was not 25 miles up the river. It was right down south of us at Newcastle, Delaware, where not only did William Penn stop but he actually spent the night. Later on he was asked, why do you go there first? He answered famously, tax-free shopping. A few hundred years later, further up the Christina River, 10,000 shipbuilders, mostly women, would build many of the ships, destroy escorts, troop landing ships that enable us to emerge victorious in World War II. And that's only part of this forward-to-hearers history that the USS Delaware joins today. Throughout the Delaware history, the letter C has figured prominently on our state. Our first settlers planted corn, a lot of it. They raised chickens, a lot of them. Our state bird is a fighting blue hen, and today there are nearly 300 chickens for every person who lives in the first state. They got us outnumbered, folks. Later we came known as the chemical capital of the world, thank you, DuPont, for hundreds of amazing inventions. Delaware's coastline is not large, but I believe it's still home to more five-star beaches than any other state coastline in America. And not long ago we built more cars in Delaware per capita than any other state. And while we have no sales tax here, Delaware is the home of incorporation to half the Fortune 500 and the New York Stock Exchange. And finally, I don't know what's in your wallet, but there's a good chance that it's issued by a bank here with operations in Delaware. And it's okay with us if you don't pay down your balance every month. Now that's a lot of seas, and even our political leaders have gotten to the act with names like Carville, Castle, Carney, Coons, and Carper. And even Joe Biden didn't start out as one of the seaboys. He was close. Biden, you know, all off by one letter. And anyway, he has ended up as our nation's commander-in-chief. That's a lot of seas. Not bad for his grapikin, for Scranton, Pennsylvania. But by far the greatest contribution that Delaware has made since the founding of our country occurred on December 7th, 1787, when Delaware became the first state to ratify our Constitution. For one whole week, Delaware was the entire United States of America. Constitution would become the most enduring Constitution in the history of the world, and by far the most replicated. None of us are perfect, and our Constitution wasn't perfect either. But over time, we've made it better. A lot better. It has provided a framework and a path that has made our country the envy of much of the rest of the world. But at the end of the day, however, our Constitution and our Declaration of Independence are words on a piece of paper without the resolve made real by the commitment and the sacrifice of the men and women who wear and have worn the uniform of our nation. Let me end with this. To one of you in our audience for today, remember studying, maybe when you were a kid, studying the Constitution, maybe even reciting the preamble of the Constitution. I do. My sister and I did that in middle school. You'll remember it began as with these words. We the people of the United States in order to form a more perfect union. It doesn't say a perfect union. Rather, it says a more perfect union. Why is that? Because a citizen of this great country, it's up to us, each of us, to do our part to ensure that the arc of American history bends toward perfection and toward justice, even knowing that we may never fully achieve them. The men who serve and will serve aboard the USS Delaware will bear our state's name for decades to come as they defend our nation. Through their sacrifice and service, may we grow even closer, even closer to that more perfect union. Before Dr. Biden speaks in a moment, I want to ask all of you to do something that the audience did with us at the christening of the USS Delaware a few years ago in Newport News. I want to ask everybody to stand. Everybody who's able to stand, just stand. We want you to please stand. I want to ask you to take the hand of the person standing next to you on either side. Take the hand of the person standing next to you and either side. I'm going to ask you to join us in reciting that same preamble together. I'll say a few words at a time and then you repeat and eventually we'll recite it all. Are you ready? Come on, are you ready? I think they're ready. All right, let's do it. We're the people of the United States. In order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty, to ourselves and our posterity, to ourselves and our posterity, to ordain and establish this constitution for the United States of America forever and ever. I just added those last few words. I'm an optimist. Why shouldn't we be? All right, have a seat. God bless and protect the crew of the USS Delaware both now and in the decades to come and may each of you and each of us, may each of us live our lives in ways to ensure that America remains a nation worthy of their sacrifice so that a government of the people, by the people, and for the people will not perish from this earth. May God bless you all. May God bless the USS Delaware. Long may she sail. Thank you so much. God bless you. Thank you, Senator Carper. Executive Officer, set the watch. Aye aye, sir. Officer Deck, set the first watch. Aye aye, sir. The officer of the deck is the commanding officer's direct representative, and while on watch is responsible for the safety and smooth operation of the ship. The long glass is the traditional symbol of an officer of the deck's authority in the ship of the line. Captain Thomas Carper, United States Navy retired and United States Senator, will assist in setting the first watch by passing the long glass to our first ship's duty officer, Lieutenant Stephen Walsh from Southboro, Massachusetts. The petty officer of the deck is fire control technician second class Keaton Smith from Round Rock, Texas. The topside century is torpedo man's mate third class Noah Westfall from Ripley, West Virginia. And boatsman's mate of the watch is boatsman's mate second class Cody Platt from Grantsville, Pennsylvania. Section one. The watch is set. The first watch is set. Ships company, attention. Ladies and gentlemen, the Honorable Joseph R. Biden Jr. My name is Joe Biden. I am Jill's husband. It's always a good day when I get to celebrate Delaware or spend time with service members of their families or introduce Jill. That's a trifecta in my family. Governor Carney, Senator Carper, Senator Coons, Congresswoman Blunt Rochester, Secretary del Toro, Commander Horton, and all the crew members and families of the USS Delaware. I'm genuinely honored to be with you. This latest ship to carry the USS Delaware is part of a long, the name is part of a long tradition of serving our nation proudly and strengthening our nation's security, security of the United States of America. Not just us, but our allies and partners around the world as well. In fact, it's already been doing that for some time. So I just want to say thank you to everyone, to everyone involved in bringing this submarine to service, for those who laid the keel, for those sailors who will crew it and all through all the years to come. And I want you to know that I've had an incredible partner. Jill has watched over the progress of the USS Delaware for years. The daughter of her Navy singleman during World War II, the mother of a member of the Delaware National Guard, the grandmother of children who experienced having their father deployed away from home for a year at a time. She always holds our military and their families in her heart. And that is not hyperbole. That's real. And I'm deeply proud of the work she's doing as First Lady with Joining Forces Initiative. She started with Michelle Obama when she was Vice President and now carries on. As First Lady, she's been to more military installations around the world. She's hosted more than 20 events for military families. And she's working, working to expand economic opportunities for military spouses, who by the way, in the words of Keats, they also serve will only stand and wait. And a submarine or spouse stands and waits a lot to help military kids for the support they need. And to make sure survivors and caregivers have the resources they deserve. It's a true passion for Jill and for our entire family. As your Commander-in-Chief, I believe it is our sacred obligation as a nation to prepare and equip those troops that we send in a harm's way and to care for them and their families when they return home. Now, now it's my honor to introduce your First Lady, the sponsor of this great vessel, Jill Biden. Thank you, Mr. President. I must admit, I never get tired of saying that. As this ship's sponsor, it's my pleasure to welcome so many distinguished guests, and especially the Secretary of the Navy and Admiral's Gilday and Caudill. Commander Horton, Senior Chief Grammar, and the entire crew of the USS Delaware, it's an honor to share this special day with you and your families. I especially want to welcome some of my good friends from Delaware Boots on the ground. You know, working with you connected me to a community of incredible military families. And all these years later, your work continues to inspire me. And I hope you can see your influence in our Joining Forces initiative. So where are my Delaware Boots on the ground members today? Where are they sitting? They're down. They're down. Okay. Wow, you're down there? Eight of Delaware has loved the Bidens and cheered for us in most of our triumphant moments. It has carried us through the darkest times in our lives with the kindness that asks for nothing in return. Delaware is family. I'll never forget the pride I felt when I stood at the Pentagon with Secretary of the Navy Ray Mavis as well as Hugh Tom to announce that I would be the ship's sponsor. The USS Delaware was nothing more than a drawing then. In 2016, my grandson Hunter joined me for the keel laying. And I think he felt the important connection that our family has to service then. And it was such a special moment for both of us. Then in 2018, I traveled to Newport News for the christening, seeing that simple drawing come to life in a shower of champagne. And I saw the truth of what Secretary Mavis said when it all began, that this vessel will always uphold the first state's motto of liberty and independence. So it's difficult to put into words how much it means to be a part of the USS Delaware family. It's an incredible honor that I take seriously. I have cherished getting to know this community from bowling with you at Newport News to spending time with your families at Fort Groton for the holiday last December. I've seen the heart of this crew and it makes me feel both proud and humbled to be your shipmate for life. Today's celebration like so many things in the past few years is just a bit out of the ordinary. At the beginning of the pandemic, the Delaware became the first ship ever commissioned while underwater underway. It was a challenge to put a ship in service in the middle of a global pandemic, but you rose to the occasion as you always do. Even if we are a little delayed in our celebration, today marks the beginning of an incredible journey. The ship's long and faithful service to our country. We may not know what's to come, but we do know this. The challenges will be met with honor, distinction, and valor of the 125 sailors who serve on her decks with uncharacter and courage. Of course, commissioning is also mark a beginning for the families of the sailors as well. Though the spouses and the children, parents and siblings with us today will stay on dry land, a piece of their hearts will sail away again and again. You too have a mission. You too serve our nation. And as we look at this warship, we see it's steel bulkheads and unbreakable hull. We see that it's strong enough to withstand the most crushing pressure and slip silently through the deadliest waters. And yet so much of its power is unseen. The engines and sonar, the rudders that give it direction and purpose. You, the families of this crew, may not wear a uniform, but with your love and support and with your sacrifice and devotion, you are as critical to our mission as the rudder is to this submarine. Sailors, as you venture to new waters, know that the families who remain ashore will not be forgotten by your president or by me. We are working every day to honor the sacrifices that all of you make. When our son Bo deployed to Iraq, another military mom shared with me a prayer, one that I said every night while he was deployed. And it goes like this, may the deep waters bring you more solace than strife. May the friendships you find warm the cold walls of this vessel with laughter. May you feel the glow of each goodbye embraced long after the horizon has lost the shore. May that light illuminate even the dimmest birthing. May you always return home safely to the arms of the people who love you most. And may God bless our troops and your families, no matter where your journey takes you. Amen. Governor Carney, Senators Carper and Coons, Congresswoman Blunt Rochester, thank you for this celebration today. And to our sailors, thank you for your service and sacrifice. Thank you for allowing me to be your shipmate for life. Everybody's here? Okay. Okay, shipmates, officers and crew of the USS Delaware, man our ship and bring her to life. Ladies and gentlemen, the crew of USS Delaware salute you. We are proud to serve in America's Navy. Ready to thank the Delaware Air National Guard, 166th Airlift Squadron for their support today. USS Delaware is placed in commission and I assume command. Today her watchman said she had been brought to life. USS Delaware reports for duty. Mr. President, request permission to break your flag over USS Delaware. Permission granted. Break my flag. Break your flag, aye, sir. Executive Officer, break the flag of the Commander-in-Chief. Break the flag, Commander-in-Chief, aye, sir. Court of Master, break the flag of the Commander-in-Chief. Captain, the flag of the Commander-in-Chief is folly flying over USS Delaware. Very well, Exo. Ladies and gentlemen, Commander Matthew Horton, United States Navy, commanding officer, USS Delaware. Delaware. Parade, rest. Good morning, Mr. President, Dr. Biden, Governor's Cardin and Coons, Senator's Cardin and Coons, Congresswoman Rochester, Secretary Del Toro, Admiral Gilday, distinguished civilian and military guest, family, friend, and shipmates. Thank you for joining us today to take part in commemorating the commissioning of USS Delaware. In 1910, shortly following her commissioning, the battleship Delaware visited the Port of Wilmington to receive guests and display her capabilities. This week, we had the pleasure of sailing the beautiful Delaware Bay up the river and past Fort Delaware and continuing the tradition of Delaware warships, calling on their namesakes and presenting our fine warship to the First State. Of course, as you heard, the visit was slightly delayed due to the restrictions of the COVID pandemic. On the day we placed Delaware in commission to see, I had conversations with our sponsor, Dr. Biden and Senator Carper, who were steadfast in their commitment to keeping the dream of this visit alive. I would like to thank them as well as the Secretary of the Navy and submarine force leadership for bringing us here today. Governor Cardin, Mayor Brezeke, thank you for a warm welcome. Bringing a submarine to a commercial port is no small feat and we appreciate your hospitality and accommodation. The welcome we have received from the First State has been outstanding and we look forward to a continued relationship. Dr. Biden, thank you for your graciousness and kindness which you have bestowed on the families and crews as our sponsor. Despite the impacts of the pandemic and your duties as First Lady, you have made our families a priority. The personal interest you have shown in the well-being of the families of USS Delaware is unmatched. Perhaps there's no person more qualified to serve the ship's sponsor than in the mother of service members. Since antiquity, sailors have recognized that the ideal way to conduct naval warfare was from beneath the waves. The very qualities of the Leviathan which terrified them, its power and surprise, were the long sought qualities of the ultimate naval vessel. Since those days, nations have worked to master the science and engineering necessary to gain mastery over the deep. USS Delaware stands before you as the world's best effort to master the undersea domain. When I was a junior officer serving aboard USS Los Angeles, a plaque hung in the cruise mess which I thought captured this feeling perfectly. It borrowed a quote from Jules Verne's Captain Nemo praising the qualities of his submarine which all again repurpose. Below the waves aboard Delaware, your heart never fails you. There are no structural deformities to worry about, no rigging to be worn out by rolling and pitching of the waves, no sails to the wind to carry off, no boilers to burst open, no fires to fear, no cold to run out of, no storms to brave. There's the ideal ship. Delaware stands before you as the ideal ship, limitless in range, unmatched in power, precision and stealth. Her engineering renders her nearly undetectable and her sensors reveal the presence of her foes. Capable of dominating across the spectrum of warfare, she excels in all her assigned missions. From the depths of the ocean ensuring sea control to delivering precision strike and supporting naval special warfare. But Delaware carries a secret weapon one that even Captain Nemo could not imagine, the United States sailor. The submarineers who make up Delaware come from all parts of our great country and their dedication to the profession of submarine warfare is unmatched. They stand before you not as a crew fresh out of new construction, but a crew has been evaluated in engineering and tactical performance and taking their place in the battle force. Today Delaware upholds a proud tradition of the submarine force, ready to sail in harm's way, alone, forward and unafraid. Thank you. Delaware, attention. Will guests please rise, chaplain Black will deliver the benediction. Let us pray. Eternal father, grant we pray. To all of us both night and day, courage, strength and skill. Our land to serve, your law to fulfill. Bless and keep us. Make your face shine upon us and be gracious to us. Lift the light of your countenance upon us and give us your shalom, your peace and God. Bless America, this land that we love. Stand beside her and guide her. We pray in your holy name. Amen. Thank you, chaplain Black. Ladies and gentlemen, please be seated and remain seated for the departure of our official party.