Rear Adm. Rick Breckenridge was on the Gulf Coast on Thursday to talk with local officials about the June 2 commissioning for the 377-foot-long Virginia-class nuclear attack submarine.
Breckenridge said he had toured Ingalls Shipbuilding, met with port officials and some of the key volunteers helping plan the events leading up to the commissioning. Breckenridge calls the commissioning a "peak event" in the new submarine's life.
The submarine was christened at General Dynamics Electric Boat in Groton, Conn., on Dec. 3, and has been through sea trials.
"We go out and we operate the ship right from the get-go to its maximum design limits," Breckenridge said, "which is another incredible thing. If you look at the many complexities of a submarine like the Mississippi it is on the same order of magnitude of complexity as the space shuttle."
The submarine will be assigned to Submarine Group Two, which Breckenridge has commanded since August 2011. The group has about 50 submarines assigned to it.
Ship commissioning is an act that places a ship into active service.
It is also a time when the ship and its state form a relationship, Breckenridge said.
"I just got to tell you that the response we've had from Mississippi has just been enormous," he said. "This is really true excitement here that is recognized outside the confines of the state's boundaries."
With a crew of about 130 officer and sailors, the submarine carries torpedoes and Tomahawk missiles, and can be configured to carry Navy SEALs.
Electric Boat and its major subcontractor, Huntington Ingalls Industries-Newport News, have received contracts to build the first 18 submarines of a planned 30-ship Virginia Class.
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