Yardlines

oring the Evergreen State Washington native and Newport News Shipbuilding Apprentice Dustin Utecht took center stage November 22 to weld Ship’s Sponsor Elisabeth Mabus’ initials onto a metal plate during the keel-laying ceremony for the submarine Washington (SSN 787).

A keel laying, or keel authentication, is a Navy tradition marking the ceremonial start of a ship’s construction.

“I’m really honored to be a part of this tradition,” said Elisabeth Mabus, the daughter of Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus. “It’s the people who build and man these ships who make our Navy great.” The keel authentication plate bearing the sponsor’s initials will be permanently affixed to the Virginia-class submarine (VCS) as a symbol of her relationship with the ship, its shipbuilders and crew.

Utecht, one of 4,000 shipbuilders building Washington, said, “It’s an honor and an incredible feeling knowing that the keel plate I welded will be a permanent part of the ship, and that every step and process of building this ship is going to keep America safe.”

Also representing the submarine’s namesake state was flower girl Abby Matthews. The Gig Harbor, Washington, fourth-grader is the niece of NNS Facilities Maintenance Manager Rhonda King.

Shaina Baker, a painter in the VCS program, performed the national anthem, which was followed by the invocation delivered by Electronics Technician First Class Karl Stewart, a member of the Washington (SSN 787) crew.

“Each submarine we build is a reflection of the hard work and innovation of our more than 23,000 shipbuilders, and it is most appropriate that this submarine is named for Washington, a state that thrives on innovation,” said NNS President Matt Mulherin. “When SSN 787 is complete, she will be the most innovative and most technologically advanced submarine in the world, and today is the first step in her journey to get there.”

After the ceremony, Secretary Mabus said, “You don’t get many days like this as a secretary or as a parent.”

The boat’s pre-commissioning unit commanding officer, Commander Jason Schneider, and more than 100 members of the submarine’s crew and their families, along with shipbuilders and their families, enjoyed the rare opportunity to walk through and take photos inside the bow unit of the submarine they will soon take to sea.

Washington is the 14th VCS submarine being built by the NNS and Electric Boat team. The submarine is scheduled to be christened in the fall of 2015 and delivered to the Navy in 2016. | By Gina Chew-Holman View photographs and a replay of the keel-laying ceremony at www.huntingtoningalls.com/ssn787.