From The Navy Newsstand:
Navy Announces Christening of Submarine North CarolinaStory at http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=28957
Navy Announces Christening of Submarine North Carolina
quote:
Special release from the Department of Defense
WASHINGTON (NNS) -- The Navy’s newest attack submarine, North Carolina, will be christened Saturday, April 21, during an 11 a.m. EDT ceremony at Northrop Grumman Newport News Shipyard, Newport News, Va.
The fourth submarine of the Virginia class, SSN 777 will bear the name North Carolina to honor the Tar Heel State.
The submarine will be the fourth ship of the U.S. Navy to bear the name North Carolina. The first was a 74-gun ship-of-the-line that served from 1820 to 1836. The second North Carolina was a Tennessee-class armored cruiser that was also built at the Newport News shipyard and served from 1908 to 1921. The third North Carolina was the first of the Navy's modern battleships, serving from 1940 to 1947, earning 12 battle stars for service during World War II. The battleship now serves in Wilmington, N.C., as a memorial for all North Carolinians killed in World War II.