March 1, 2016
NEWPORT NEWS, Va., March 01, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --
What:
Elisabeth Mabus, daughter of Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, will christen the Virginia-class submarine Washington (SSN 787) on Saturday by smashing a bottle of sparkling wine across the submarine’s bow. Media are invited to attend the ceremony as well as a media preview event on Friday. The preview event will provide the opportunity to interview Newport News Shipbuilding leadership, shipbuilders who have helped construct the submarine, and members of the Washington crew. The sponsor will not be present at the preview event.
The christening ceremony is open only to invited guests, including shipbuilders, Washington sailors and their families. Ceremony participants include Secretary Mabus, who will serve as the keynote speaker; Newport News Shipbuilding President Matt Mulherin; and Navy and government representatives. HII will provide a live, multi-camera satellite broadcast of the christening ceremony in its entirety. Satellite coordinates are below.
When:
Media Preview Event
Friday, March 4
11 a.m.
Media check-in: 10:30 a.m.
Christening Ceremony
Saturday, March 5
11 a.m.
Media check-in: 10:15 a.m.
Where:
For Friday’s and Saturday’s events, media will park in designated spots in the second-shift area of Newport News Shipbuilding’s North Yard parking lot (see directions below). Media will be transported by bus to and from the site. The event will be held outside the Module Outfitting Facility (MOF).
RSVP:
Confirmation of attendance is required. Please RSVP by noon on Thursday, March 3. You must present a photo ID and be a U.S. citizen to be admitted to the event. Please RSVP to:
Christie Miller, Huntington Ingalls Industries, (757) 380-3581
Christine.Miller@hii-co.com
Please note that this is an industrial setting. Long pants, shirts with sleeves covering shoulders, and flat, sturdy, closed-toe shoes are required attire.
HII will use #SSN787 as the social media hashtag for this event. An online press kit for the event is available at A webcast of the event will be provided at http://www.washingtonchristening.com/.
A live, multi-camera satellite broadcast of the event will also be provided. Satellite information is as follows:
HII is a global, all-domain defense provider. HII's mission is to deliver the world's most powerful ships and all-domain solutions in service of the nation, creating the advantage for our customers to protect peace and freedom around the world.
As the nation's largest military shipbuilder, and with a more than 135-year history of advancing U.S. national security, HII delivers critical capabilities extending from ships to unmanned systems, cyber, ISR, AI/ML and synthetic training. Headquartered in Virginia, HII's workforce is 44,000 strong.
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