 Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the christening of the Washington SSN 787. 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 Lieutenant Commander Daniel Curtis Chaplin, Submarine Squadron 6 Command. Commander Jason Schneider, Commanding Officer Washington. Captain Douglas Lemons, Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Newport News. Rear Admiral Michael Jabalé, Program Executive Officer, Submarines. Vice Admiral Richard Breckenridge, Deputy Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command. Vice Admiral William Hilarides, Commander, Naval Sea Systems Command. 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. Admiral Frank Caldwell, Director, Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program. Mr. Matt Mulheran, President, Newport News Shipbuilding. And now, please welcome the Secretary of the Navy, Ray Mabus, who is accompanying his daughter and Washington sponsor, Ms. Elizabeth Mabus. Ladies and gentlemen, please remain standing for the Parade of Colors and the National Anthem. The Parade of Colors is by crew members from the Washington Submarine. This will be followed by the National Anthem performed by Newport News Shipbuilder, Mr. Keith White. Color guard parade the colors. Oh, say can you see by what's so proud whose broad stripes. Lieutenant Commander Daniel Curtis to deliver the invocation. Eternal Father, whose inescapable presence extends from the dark reaches of the heavens to the very depths of the seas. We thank you for allowing us to feel that presence in this place today. We come with thanksgiving for this great nation and your guiding hand over her. Our forebears who have battled for freedom on land at sea and under the sea. And for the stirring in our spirits as we christen this magnificent submarine, mindful of the tireless efforts of her builders and crew to reach this day. We celebrate her namesake state. It's beauty from stunning mountains to endless evergreen forests to windswept plains. This is your handiwork reflected back to us now in the sleek beauty of the handiwork of this ship. We celebrate Washington's innovation from coffee to jetliners to music. This is your creative spirit reflected back to us now in the most innovative advanced vessel our world has seen. Above all, we celebrate Washington's people from the callous hands of an eastern rancher to the bustling diversity of the coastal cities. These are your beloved children. And with them, we pray your blessing for those hands who have built this ship. For Cobb or Shad and all the crew that now and for years to come, they might experience your grace and peace even in hardship. For Commander Schneider and his officers that they might be the first of many to feel your strength as they walk the ship's debt and steer her course. So bless we pray every inch of this ship in her systems. Give her strength for the storms, courage for the battles, her severance for the trials and endurance for the longest days. May her shouts of joy and victory and her cries for aid in trial ever reach your ears. Your glory so majestically displayed before us humbles and inspires us. Reveal it also by your presence. We pray in your name. Amen. Please be seated. And now please welcome Newport News Shipbuilding President, Mr. Matt Mulheran. Well, good morning. Distinguished platform guests, ladies and gentlemen, and most especially our sponsor, Elizabeth Mabus. It is my great pleasure to welcome you to Newport News Shipbuilding and to the christening of the Virginia Class Submarine, Washington. We are so pleased you could join us and take part in today's ceremony. My special thanks to Chaplain Curtis for delivering the invocation and to the Washington Color Guard and the United States Fleet Forces Band for their roles in opening our ceremony with such patriotic spirit. I'd also like to offer my special thanks to our very own Keith White for his fantastic performance of the National Anthem. Thank you all. In addition to our platform guests, there are a few people in the audience I'd like to recognize. From the Mabus family, we are honored to welcome Lynn and Annie. We are also pleased to have several elected officials with us. Delicate Marcia Price and David Yancey are here. As well as Newport News Mayor McKinley Price and Hampton Mayor George Wallace. From Union, we have the President of our Security Guard Force, Ms. Carolyn Bradley. From the Evergreen State, we are pleased to have with us Mayor Patty Lent from Bremberton, Washington and Washington Secretary of State, Kim Lyman. They are here as part of Washington's commissioning committee. I'd like to ask them and the entire commissioning committee who have traveled across country from Washington to please stand and be recognized. Thank you. Washington is the 14th submarine of the Virginia class. It was just about a year and four months ago that we celebrated the keel laying for this boat. At that ceremony, Elizabeth Mabus stood inside the bow of this great vessel to authenticate its construction. It is very fitting today that she will christen that same bow with a bottle of American sparkling wine. The practice of commissioning ships dates back more than 4,000 years. Here at the shipyard, we're celebrating our 130 years in business. We've been christening ships throughout our history with more than 800 such ships built here. However, we are doing something new by bringing a little bit of Washington state to our ceremony. Before Elizabeth breaks the ceremonial bottle across the bow, she will dip it in water from Washington's Puget Sound to signify the relationship between this submarine and her namesake state. The bottle that Elizabeth will use today is enclosed in a slotted aluminum casing and then covered with a crocheted cotton sleeve. This prevents fragments of glass flying out of them from the bottle break. Wait till you see what happens up there. The aluminum casing is made right here in the shipyard by Bill Bullock, a master shipbuilder in our manufacturing and sheet metal department. The beautiful cover you see over the submarine bow is sewn into the red, white, and blue bunting by shipbuilders in our sail loft. This christening site that you see, it was designed and built by shipbuilders from across the company. For more than a century, we've christened ships. The pride, patriotism, and attention to every little detail is something that has been passed down from generation to generation. We are extremely proud to be part of that tradition because we know we aren't just celebrating christening today. We are also celebrating the men and women who built this magnificent submarine and those who will serve aboard her. This ceremony also gives us the opportunity to invite family and friends inside our gates to see what we build each and every day around the clock on all three shifts. It's difficult to adequately describe the work that goes on here. It's technical, it's precise, it's big, and in many cases it's secret. United States Navy submarines are the most complex ships on the planet, and I am very proud to say our shipbuilders from Newport News and Electric Boat are building them ahead of schedule and on budget. All of the shipbuilders, please stand to be recognized. In closing, I'd like to thank our sponsor for being here. We are deeply honored by your presence. To Commander Schneider and crew, congratulations on this historic milestone in the life of your boat. We look forward to continuing to work side by side to bring this incredible submarine to life. To the shipbuilders, keep up the great work and strong performance for which you have become known. And always remember that with each weld, each piece of pipe, and each and every inch of steel, you are not just building the world's greatest ships, you're also building history. Thank you. And now it's my honor to introduce our first speaker. He leads the great shipbuilders of Electric Boat, our teammates in the Virginia class program. In fact, his shipyard is the delivery yard for the next boat in the class Colorado, and Elizabeth's sister, Annie, is the ship's sponsor. Please give a warm Newport News welcome to the President of General Dynamics Electric Boat, Mr. Jeff Diger. Thank you, Matt, and good morning, ladies and gentlemen. I'd like to begin by recognizing all of the very distinguished guests gathered here today, and especially Elizabeth Mabus, who has graced us with her presence as a sponsor of the submarine Washington. At the keel lane of this ship in November of 2014, Elizabeth clearly demonstrated that she was ready, willing, and more than able to perform her duties as a sponsor. Forming a lasting bond with the crew and becoming part of the ship's history. Elizabeth, it is a pleasure to participate in a ceremony with you and your father. I'd also like to recognize the dedicated officers and sailors of the submarine Washington, and their commanding officer, Commander Jason Schneider. Speaking for the more than 14,000 men and women of General Dynamics Electric Boat, it is a privilege to participate in the christening of Washington, the 14th ship of the Virginia class. Today's ceremony marks a new chapter in the life of this submarine, which embodies years of hard work by a team committed to continuous improvement and extending its record of deliveries ahead of schedule and under budget. This is a noteworthy time for the employees of Electric Boat and Newport New Ship Building, the United States Navy, and our supplier base. Largely because of the Virginia class program success, we are in the midst of a sustained period of increased submarine production. Looking out over the remainder of the year, the Virginia team will be very busy. We will celebrate the delivery and commissioning of two ships, Illinois and Washington. Chris in the Colorado, and Leigh the Keele of the South Dakota and the Delaware. This level of activity is exciting for all of us and illustrates what the procurement pace of two submarines per year looks like. The shipbuilders look forward to meeting the high expectations for safety, quality, cost and schedule for the 16 ships now under contract. The confidence I have that we will succeed is based on the strength of our team, in particular the members of our Navy industry team and what they bring to the job. The skills, work ethic and commitment to make Virginia class submarines better and better still. Every day our shipbuilders rise to new challenges, establishing new benchmarks in the demanding industry defined by innovation, new technology and stringent quality standards. These are the qualities that define the submarine builders of Electric Boat and Newport News, and these are the qualities that enable us to produce the submarines that sustain our Navy's undersea dominance. So right now the entire shipbuilding team should take a moment to celebrate the progress we've achieved so far and renew our commitment to make each successive ship better than the last. This is how we will keep the Virginia program on track and proudly continue our contributions to our Navy and nation. Thank you. Thank you Jeff. 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 is currently serving in his 12th term in the U.S. House of Representatives. We are proud to be located in his district and honored to have him back for today's ceremony. Please ladies and gentlemen welcome Congressman Bobby Scott. Thank you Matt for your very kind introduction and I'd like to welcome everyone here to Virginia's third congressional district and to one of the Commonwealth's and nation's greatest assets, Newport News Shipbuilding. I'd also like to especially welcome Secretary Mabus and all of the senior Navy officials back to Newport News and a special welcome to the Washington sponsor Elizabeth Mabus. When it comes to building nuclear submarines and aircraft carriers I'm proud to say that this facility is the finest in the world. Since the shipyard first opened the number one priority has always been to build the best and most advanced ships in the world. Collis B. Huntington, the visionary who founded Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dot Company in 1886 once said, We build ships at a profit if we can and at a loss if we must but always good ships. You'd be pleased to see the shipyard he founded 130 years ago still building the best ships in the world. Today's ceremony is the 14th Christing of a Virginia class submarine and reflects the belief that a strong and robust Navy is vital to our national security. The 21st century world has already proven to be unpredictable and our Navy must be ready to respond to challenges that lie ahead. To ensure that our nation is capable of meeting these challenges we must continue to invest in shipbuilding and to build the most sophisticated ships in the world. That's why I'm pleased to see that the President's budget continues the Virginia class submarine program at a build rate of two ships per year. But we still have more to do to ensure that we continue to grow the fleet to reach the Navy's goal of 308 ships and bring more certainty to the shipbuilding program. The Washington is a fine example of our dedication to this goal. The citizens of the great state of Washington can be justifiably proud that this fine ship carries their state's name. And finally I want to acknowledge the thousands of shipbuilders who built this fine vessel here at Newport News and at Electric Boat in Connecticut. Especially one of the largest locals in America, local 8888 of the United Steel Workers of America. Your professionalism, skill, and dedication to this ship as well as dedication to the many others that you have built and will build here will be critical not only to the vitality of this community but more importantly critical to our national security. So I want to commend all of you for your hard work and congratulate you on a job well done and to the crew of the Washington Godspeed. Thank you. Thank you Congressman Scott. 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 of submarine forces he is responsible for the strategic vision of the submarine force. A force made up of 25,000 personnel comprising 90 submarine crews, their submarines and associated supporting organization. He also serves as Commander Submarine Force Atlantic and Commander Allied Submarine Command. Please join me in welcoming Admiral Joe Tafalo. Thank you Matt for that very kind introduction. It's an absolute thrill to be back at Newport News Shipyard. Congressman Scott and Forbes, Secretary Mavis, Admiral Caldwell, distinguished guests and friends of the submarine force. It truly is a momentous day and it is my distinct pleasure to be with you this morning for the christening of this magnificent new submarine. I want to specifically recognize Ms. Elizabeth Mavis who as the ship sponsor is obviously an integral part of the submarine force family. I too would like to recognize our amazing shipbuilders who make the Virginia class submarine the best submarine on the planet. And we need Washington to be just that so that this crew can take her into harm's way anywhere in the world. From the physical and geographic extremes of the polar ice cap to the western Pacific and the Arabian Sea, Washington will operate in the most challenging environments on earth as her crew protects America from attack and maintains our strategic interests in the world. On scene, unseen, providing assured access and influence in all of these diverse and challenging areas. For the crew of Washington, despite the magnificence of this new submarine, it is nothing without you. And we need you. Combatant commanders around the world are asking for more and more submarines because there are some very important jobs to do and many that only you can accomplish. Given our history as a maritime nation, the responsibility to prevent challengers from using the sea to threaten the United States and our allies will fall predominantly on the United States Navy. And as anti-access and area denial systems proliferate, systems that are designed to deny us vast ocean areas, that share of Navy responsibility that falls on you and the submarine force is only going to grow. Crews like you operating submarines like Washington with your ability to get in under an adversary's attempted denial systems are the key that unlocks the door, thereby significantly enabling the greater naval and joint force. Congratulations to you on being part of this tremendous challenge and opportunity. Skipper Schneider, as Washington's commanding officer, on your shoulders rests the ultimate responsibility, authority and accountability for the performance of this ship and crew. It is your job to enact her motto, preserving peace prepared for war. That motto could not be more appropriate. Elizabeth, the Washington is privileged to have your energy and enthusiasm as part of the ship's legacy. And on behalf of the 25,000 submarineers in our Navy, I am honored to have you in our submarine force family and look forward to a long and fruitful partnership. Ladies and gentlemen, the submarine force eagerly awaits the day when USS Washington will assume the watch in honor of that magnificent evergreen state. In the remaining six short months until going to sea for the first time, there is much to do and not a moment to lose. Congratulations again to shipbuilder, crew and sponsor. May God bless the submarine force and the United States of America. Thank you. Thank you, Admiral. Our next speaker represents Virginia's 4th congressional district. He serves as the chairman of the House Armed Services, Sea Power and Projection Forces Subcommittee and is a strong supporter of our nation's military and the work we do at this shipyard. Please welcome Congressman Randy Forbes. Secretary Mabus, Ms. Elizabeth Mabus, Presidents Mulherin and Guy Gerb, Congressman Scott, Admirals to Follow, Calwell, Hill Reedy, Breckenridge, Jabalé, all of our platform guests and the thousands of shipbuilders who supported this construction, members of the General Assembly and elected officials and families, and Commander Schneider and the crew of the SSN 787, the Washington. What a day for a celebration. Secretary Mabus, you do not just celebrate this great boat, but you celebrate a tour as the Secretary of the Navy where you have remained steadfast in your commitment to build ships. And for that, we thank you. And Presidents Mulherin and Guy Gerb, you stand today as symbols not just of two of the finest shipyards in the world, but as symbols also representing thousands of the finest shipbuilders in the world. And Congressman Scott stands today celebrating a Virginia delegation, always committed not just to making the Navy good for Virginia, but making Virginia good for the Navy. But as wonderful as this day of celebration is, it will come to an end. The music will stop, all these chairs will be folded away, the workers will return to their jobs and the families will go home. At some point, this Commander and his crew will sail this great boat into the depths of a dark and vast ocean. And just as you and I are sometimes tempted to be overwhelmed by the enormity of the world events surrounding us and are tempted at times to ask what we can do because, after all, we're only one. The reality will hit them that they are only one boat no matter how great and how large and how magnificent a boat and how vast the United States Navy that still they are one boat. And it's at that moment that I hope they will remember the words of Edward Hale, a former Senate chaplain who said this, I'm only one, but I am one. I can't do everything, but I can do something. And I'm not going to let the fact that I can't do everything stop me from doing something. As we celebrate today, I hope each of you will see in this incredible boat the something you were able to do. I hope this single submarine will for decades be an instrument of strength, an instrument of freedom, an instrument of hope, an instrument of light in a dark ocean and sometimes a dark world. And I hope the decades from this day when those who follow us choose to decommission to Washington, they will say the something she did was enough. Enough to defend the greatest nation the world has ever known, enough to defend freedom for the world. May God bless this submarine, may God bless her crew, and may God continue to bless the United States of America. Thank you, Congressman Forbes. Our next speaker has a long and distinguished Navy career which began on submarines. He has commanded submarine squadrons in Connecticut, Hawaii, and even Washington State. His shore assignments have included positions of significant responsibility, and today he serves as the director of Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program. He has the responsibility for ensuring the safe, reliable, and long-lived operation of Navy nuclear propulsion plans. In other words, he's the Navy's head nuke. Please welcome Admiral Frank Caldwell. Good morning, everyone. It is an absolute honor to be here today, and I would like to offer a very special welcome to our sponsor, Elizabeth Mabus, the entire Mabus family. Commander Snyder, to your crew and the families of the great ship Washington, to the folks from Washington State, and to our congressional leaders. This is a great day for the Navy and the nation. Washington is the 14th in the Virginia class and another crown jewel in our submarine arsenal. That is an arsenal that is in high demand today, and I would argue it's in higher demand today than at any other time since the end of the Cold War. Our combatant commanders want more of what Washington will bring and what all of the Virginia class will bring. Once commissioned, Washington will last and operate for her entire life without refueling. Her stealth, speed, and endurance will allow her to carry weapons, sensors, and if necessary, special forces anywhere around the globe to protect our national interests. Yes, so this is a great day. And it's also a great day for the Mabus family. Thank you, Elizabeth, for agreeing to be our sponsor. You are now part of our submarine family and will be for the rest of your life. I hope this day marks a long, long lasting relationship with the great ship Washington. Your leadership as sponsor will be an inspiration and a source of pride for every sailor and family who serves in Washington. Congratulations to you and the entire Mabus family. Thank you also to our congressional leaders for your unwavering support of our submarine force. Today there are 12 submarines in construction between Electric Boat and Newport News Shipbuilding. Your support, Congressman, has made this possible in a time when it matters to our country more than ever. I also turn now to all the great people and the shipbuilders, the world-class team of Newport News Shipbuilding, Electric Boat, the key suppliers from around the United States, and all of the engineers, scientists, and technical experts who contributed to the design of Washington. Your hard work will come to life in this incredible ship. No one in the world can build a ship of this complexity and size like you can. And you built her strong and tough to operate for over 30 years and take her crew safely wherever the nation needs her to serve. And in my way of thinking you can be darn proud of that. Finally, to Commander Schneider and the Washington crew, you will represent not only the great state of Washington, the submarine force, but also the namesake of Washington himself. George Washington once wrote that without a decisive naval force we can do nothing. And with it we can do everything honorable and glorious. Your charge, sailors of Washington, is to live up to George Washington's reputation in the honorable and glorious pursuits of protecting our nation. Ladies and gentlemen, we know not where this warship will be asked to serve, nor do we know all the missions that she will perform. Like her predecessors, she will be employed in ways that we have yet to imagine. But I'm certain that Washington will live up to these challenges because she is designed by the best in our nation, built by the best shipyards in the world, and operated by the finest sailors in the United States Navy. Thank you and God bless Washington and all who shall sail in her. Thank you. Thank you Admiral. And now I'm honored to introduce our principal speaker. Ray Mabes serves as Secretary of the Navy and leads America's Navy and Marine Corps. He is responsible for an annual budget in excess of $170 billion and leadership of almost 900,000 people. He has traveled nearly 1.2 million miles, has visited all 50 states, and he's been to 140 countries including a dozen visits to Afghanistan. During his tenure, a very important and very important to us, the Navy has gone from building fewer than five ships per year to an average of 14 ships per year. Throughout his entire career, Secretary Mabes has held many leadership positions and earned many distinguished title. Governor, Chairman and CEO, Ambassador, Naval Officer. While all of these are impressive, there is one title that may be most impressive of them all, and that's Dad. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Elizabeth Mabes' dad, the 75th Secretary of the Navy, Ray Mabes. You're absolutely right, Matt. That is the best title I've ever had, and the best title any of us will ever have is parent. To you, Matt Mulherrin, Jeff Geiger, to our Naval leadership here on the podium, to our congressmen who have done so much to make today and every day like this possible, to all of you, to the shipbuilders of Newport News, your fellow shipbuilders at Electric Boat, to the crew of the USS Washington, to all of you who have come out here today. Thank you. Thank you for joining us as we christen the Washington, and most importantly thank you for what you do every day. For our sailors, our Marines, their families, and for your continued efforts and success in ensuring that we have the greatest Navy, not just in the world, but that the world has ever seen. When our founding fathers drafted the Constitution, they gave Congress the authority to raise an army when needed, but mandated that it provide and maintain a Navy. Now that not-so-subtle difference recognizes the distinct maritime capability, one that makes our Navy Marine Corps uniquely vital to our national security, and that's presence. We provide presence around the globe, around the clock, ensuring stability, deterring adversaries, providing our nation's leaders with options in times of crisis. The Navy and Marine Corps are America's away team, because sailors, equally in times of peace and war, are not just at the right place at the right time, they're at the right place all the time. We get on station faster, we stay there longer, we bring everything we need with us, and because we operate off sovereign American territory like the Washington, we can do whatever job needs to be done without seeking the permission of any other nation. Our ability to provide that presence is built on four fundamentals, people, the sailors that you see here, platforms, our ships, our submarines, our aircraft, power, how we fuel those platforms and partnerships. Our strong relations with our allies around the world, with industry here in the U.S., and most importantly with the American people. And when it comes to platforms, you've heard it over and over again, but quantity has a quality all its own. And here in Newport News, in Groton and Quonset Point, and around the country, thousands and thousands of extraordinarily skilled shipbuilders have constructed USS Washington, adding to that growing fleet, bringing life to the most advanced submarines in the world. No one builds warships better than America. No one. The production of these subs is an example of how we've halted and reversed the decline in our fleet. On 9-11, 2001, our Navy had 316 ships, but seven years later, the fleet had dropped to 278 ships. In that seven years, from 2001 to 2008, the Navy put 41 ships under contract. 41 was not enough to keep our fleet from continuing to shrink, and it wasn't enough to keep shipyards like this healthy and busy. By the end of this fiscal year, the seventh that I've been privileged to be Secretary, we will have put 84 ships under contract. Fixed price contracts, multi-year procurements, block buys that Congress has authorized and allowed us to do. Working with our partners here in industry have allowed us to produce this newest class of submarines, as you've heard, but it's worth repeating ahead of schedule and under budget. And we need a lot of these. One of the Congressman's colleagues, Joe Courtney from Connecticut, made a speech and he said he wanted to be known as two-sub-jove for two Virginia-class submarines a year. I spoke after him and I said I wanted to be known as ten-sub-rate for building ten of these over five years. In the summer of 2014, we signed the biggest contract in U.S. Navy history, almost $18 billion to buy ten of these submarines. They're built under this unique teaming arrangement between Huntington Ingalls, Newport News, and Electric Boat, General Dynamics. Where both companies build certain portions of each submarine. Now, many things have allowed us to bring the cost down. So many efficiencies by these shipyards, by giving them some stability. By Congress allowing us to do this tenship buy at the same time so that they can make the investment. Employ the skilled workers, buy the materials that they need to build not just one submarine, but all ten. So that contract was for $18 billion. These subs cost about $2 billion a piece. We're paying $18 billion, but we're getting ten submarines. It's like having one of those punch cards. Buy nine subs, get your tenth one free. It's good for our shipbuilders, it's good for the shipbuilding industry, it's good for America's Navy, and it's good for America. And because of these efforts, and I particularly do want to reach out and thank Congress for all that you and your colleagues have done. The American people and their support, the shipbuilders represented here. We will return to a fleet of 300 ships by 2019 and to 308 ships which we have a validated need by 2021. And they will be the greatest ships in the world, carry the most advanced technologies, and have the best sailors anywhere. USS Washington, Matt talked about some of the things that it has and a lot of the things that he can't talk about. But the technology on this boat is truly extraordinary. And though that technology gives it a powerful edge, the real strength, the real advantage stands before you, her crew. Our sailors are unmatched in skill, in education, in dedication. We expect them to lead, we expect them to perform at an incredibly high level and they do so without fail, day in and day out. It is fitting then that this crew serve aboard a ship whose name perpetuates our Navy's incredible legacy. USS Washington is the fourth ship to be named for our 42nd state. The last ship was a battleship, USS Washington BB-56. In keeping with the technological edge, BB-56 was the first to be equipped with fully operational radar. And she has the distinction of being the only American battleship to sink an enemy battleship in a one-on-one surface action in World War II. Throughout her distinguished life, USS Washington earned 13 battle stars, was never hit, never lost a crewman, and that's a pretty good record. But it's been 70 years since the USS Washington was decommissioned. It's time for a new USS Washington, this great submarine, to carry on the legacy of the state of Washington and the ships that have borne her name. And Washington will do just that. She will serve for decades. She and her crew will carry the American spirit and the name Washington worldwide as a testament to the hard work and patriotism of the people who call Washington home. A lot of times, the sailors on board these ships are the only Americans people from outside this country will ever meet. And we can be proud of that because our sailors, as well as being great warriors, are great ambassadors, none of the most important part. In addition to a name, every ship has a sponsor. And that sponsor imbues the ship with her personality, her energy, her drive. The sponsor stays in touch with the ship throughout the ship's life. Every time a new captain takes command, one of the first things they do is call the sponsor. And I will admit that I am not an objective observer here, but I think the USS Washington has an absolutely amazing sponsor. In my wonderful daughter, Elizabeth Mabus. At the keel laying, a year and a half ago, I talked about how Elizabeth had the great presence and sense to sleep through her first press conference when she was three days old and a baby of a sitting governor. But today, I, like every parent, not only see our children as they are today, and Elizabeth as a poised, very accomplished young woman. But in my mind's eye, I see her throughout her life. And the one thing that is a touchstone for Elizabeth is just perseverance. From the time she learned to swim when she was two, through endless nights of homework when she would not go to bed until she had finished, to learning to play the drums in high school because she thought it was something that was completely unexpected and outside her comfort zone. And now, as a young woman of immense accomplishments at a very young age, she is the sponsor of this great naval vessel. She is an honorary member of this crew, and she will be a plank owner during the lifetime of this ship. A tangible connection between the people of Washington, the people of the United States, their shared values, and the sailors who sail aboard this ship. She will imbue it with her compassion, her kind and determined spirit, and she will serve as an inspiration to all those who sail aboard Washington. And they will remain together as sailors have for almost 240 years. Semper Fortis, always courageous. Ladies and gentlemen, the sponsor, USS Washington, my wonderful daughter, Elizabeth. I'm normally not the member of the Mabus family who gives speeches at Navy events, so you'll have to excuse me if I'm not as eloquent as my father. Thank you to Mr. Geiger, Mr. Mulherrin, Admiral Trafalo, Admiral Caldwell, to the delegation from Washington State, to everyone here today, especially the shipbuilders of the Washington and the sailors of the Washington. I'm honored to be here at the beginning of the submarine's journey and to be a part of the time-honored naval tradition. It seems amazing that it was only a year and a half ago that we were here laying the keel. It is a testament to the work of Newport News and Electric Boat that we are back here so soon to christen the newest member of the fleet. It has been astounding to see the ship go from steel and cable and wire to being a living vessel with the full crew, and it means so much to me to be an honorary member. I recently had the opportunity to embark on the USS New Hampshire and was so impressed not only by the technology of the ship, but also by the talent and dedication of the sailors. I was told that there is no such thing as a small problem when you're sailing 600 feet underwater, but because of their training and their skill, they were prepared for every eventuality. Even before Washington goes into water, this first crew has already been training, getting ready to take her to sea. And I know that though you are all eager to set out on the Washington, this like all naval service will require you to be away from your families for long stretches. So thank you to the families, some of whom I've had the chance to meet, and in a very real sense you are plank owners of this ship as well. My grandfather grew trees in Choctaw County, Mississippi. My father likes to tell the story of how when he was much older, near the end of his life, he stopped cutting trees. He stopped cutting them down for profit and started planting instead. He would never see any benefit from these seedlings, he would never see them grow, but they were his gift to my father and to me and my sisters. His promise to the next generation that he was looking for had passed himself. We don't know what challenges we will face as a nation in 10, 15 or 20 years, but we know that because of the work being done now at Newport News and an electric boat and by the sailors who call this ship home, the USS Washington will be prepared for whatever is to come. I'm excited to be here today and to be a part of the ship's life for years and years. Thank you. And now the moment you've all been waiting for. I'd like to ask Elizabeth Mabus, Secretary Mabus, Admiral Caldwell and Commander Schneider to join me as we make our way to the bottle break platform. When we get there, the shipyard whistle will sound indicating it's time to christen SSM 787. After the christening, we'll return to the stage for a special presentation. State Ship Washington, may God bless the submarine and all those who sail in here. By two shipbuilders, please welcome Reactor Services Electrician Tashika Simpson and Nuclear Fitter and Master Shipbuilder Richard Spratly III. Elizabeth, we have the champagne bucket. We have the champagne bucket that held the Puget Sound water with a special inscription engraved on it to remind you of today's ceremony. Wooden box made by shipbuilders in our pattern shop. And inside the box, we have the christening bottle or what's left of it. And it's coming. I think they're trying to find all of it. There we go. We hope these gifts will remind you of today's ceremony and your special role in the life of submarine Washington. I would like to thank everyone for coming today. For those of you who would like to go up on the bottle break stand, we will be allowing everyone the opportunity to do so in about ten minutes after the platform guests leave. And that, ladies and gentlemen, concludes today's ceremony. Have a great afternoon.