First lady christens Navy submarine named after Illinois

First lady Michelle Obama christened a Navy submarine at a Connecticut shipyard on Saturday, taking three whacks to break a bottle of champagne against the hull of the USS Illinois and thanking military families for their sacrifice. It is scheduled for delivery to the Navy in 2016. “The production of submarines like the Illinois is not only an example of how we have reversed the decline in shipbuilding but also a representation of the strong partnership our Navy and Marine Corps have with the shipbuilding industry and the American people”. Unobtrusive, non-provocative and connected with land, air, sea and space-based assets, Illinois and the other Virginia-class submarines are equipped to wage multi-dimensional warfare around the globe, providing the U.S. Navy with continued dominance in coastal waters or the open ocean.

The USS Ilinois is 377 feet and weighs in at almost 8,000 tons. The 377-foot submarine will carry a crew of more than 130 and a payload of weapons including torpedoes and Tomahawk missiles.Mrs. Obama called the submarine a “technological wonder.”It is full of technologies like a photonics mast, full of high-resolution and infrared cameras”, she said”. The two VPTs replace 12 individual Vertical Launch System (VLS) tubes utilized on earlier submarines.

The submarine Illinois is the 13th ship of the Virginia class, the first U.S. Navy combatants designed for the post-Cold War era. In addition to anti-submarine, anti-surface ship and counter-mine warfare, Illinois will support surveillance, special operations and covert strike missions. She previously participated in the keel laying in May, 2014. In December 1907, the release said, Illinois steamed out of Hampton Roads, Virginia, to begin a voyage with the “Great White Fleet”.