The USS Mississippi submarine is seen during its christening in Groton, Conn., in December. The sub will be commissioned, the final event before a vessel goes into service, in Pascagoula in June.
PASCAGOULA, Mississippi -- Mayor Robbie Maxwell plans to welcome Gov. Phil Bryant to town on Monday for a press conference to formally announce details of the USS Mississippi submarine commissioning, which was recently moved from Gulfport to Pascagoula and is set for June 2.
The press event is scheduled to be held on Pascagoula's emerging riverfront, across from where the USS Mississippi will be situated at the Port of Pascagoula on the river's west bank during the commissioning.
"This is a big deal, and unlike anything that has happened here in a long, long time," Maxwell said. "Many warships have been built here but we have never commissioned one here, at least in my time here."
Maxwell added that the fact that USS Mississippi is a submarine carries added mystique, and that it will "carry Mississippi's name all over the world" for 40 years. He said he hopes that officials from across the coast and throughout the state will attend and share in the city's very special day.
Commissioning is the final event in the life of a military ship while it is being built, marking its acceptance into the armed forces. Preceding it are the launch, christening, crew arrival and delivery.
Accompanied by galas, tours and other events, a commissioning typically draws thousands of people. It is considered a great honor for the city, county and state in which it is held.
"We fully expect that as many as 5,000 people will attend," said Jerry St. Pé, former Ingalls Shipbuilding president and chairman of the Host City Committee. Besides members of the public, attendees will include crewmembers and their families, and high-ranking U.S. Navy and Department of Defense officials, he said.
Commissionings are invitation-only, but members of the public may receive invitations from the Navy upon request.
The Navy pays for the ceremony itself, while donations pay for receptions, gifts and special celebrations. The fundraising effort by the USS Mississippi Commissioning Committee will be discussed during Monday's press conference, according to the city of Pascagoula.
The Meridian Navy League is heading up that effort.
Maxwell said the governor has already been very proactive about the effort's ambitious $300,000 goal.
"With the help of folks like the governor, it makes it (fundraising) a little bit easier," Maxwell said. "This is not something that has just been done on paper. The governor and others involved have been hands-on for the past two weeks.
"(Bryant) wants to come down and get his boots on the ground and be involved in every aspect of this," Maxwell said. "And we're absolutely delighted that he feels that way."
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