USS Washington officially named
Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, center front, greets Navy personnel after hosting a ship-naming ceremony Thursday in honor of the future USS Washington at the Port of Seattle headquarters. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, center rear, looks on.
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Navy Secretary Ray Mabus held a vessel-naming ceremony with Washington Gov. Jay Inslee in Seattle Thursday to help connect the state with a new attack submarine that bears its name.
The nuclear-powered USS Washington was named last year and is under construction in Newport News, Va. It is expected to join the fleet in 2016. Inslee's office says it's the first Navy vessel to carry the state's name since a World War II battleship.
Mabus says Washington has been a great partner with the Navy. Puget Sound is the third-largest fleet center after Norfolk, Va., and San Diego.
Mabus completed a visit to the area Thursday that included stops in Bremerton and Whidbey Island Naval Air Station. He says he heard concerns about looming budget cuts.
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