USS Colorado Christened: $2 Billion Attack Sub One of 15

The USS Colorado, a 377-foot attack submarine costing $2 billion, was christened by the Navy in a weekend shipyard ceremony in Groton, Connecticut.

Annie Mabus smashed a bottle against the sub on Saturday, according to The Associated Press. “I christen thee USS Colorado! May God bless this submarine and all who sail in her.”

Mabus attended the ceremony at Electric Boat shipyard with her father, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, and the bottle of sparkling wine used during the ceremony was previously chilled in water from the Colorado River, said the Denver Post.

The Colorado, which will be one of 15 commissioned in the Virginia class of attack submarines, is equipped to carry out warfare against submarines and surface ships, while also being able to conduct surveillance and deliver Special Operations troops, the AP noted.

Ray Mabus hadn’t been to a christening since 2009 when President Barack Obama picked him to lead the Navy.

“I could not have picked a better boat, a better place, a better person to celebrate this final christening,” he said

The new submarine is the fourth ship to be named for the state, including a battleship commissioned in 1923 which won several battles during World War II, noted the Post.

“After the war, she was assigned to magic carpet duty and brought more than 6,000 veterans home to their families,” Mabus said.

The USS Colorado will be commissioned in the spring.

The submarine’s crew will include 120 enlisted service members and 14 officers.

• White House Agrees With Navy on Gender-Neutral Job Titles
  
• Iranian Navy Targeted US Helicopter
  
• Navy Officer Accused of Spying: Taiwan-Born Man Worked in Aerial Recon