SSN 799 IDAHO Keel Laying Ceremony

BOISE, Idaho - General Dynamics Electric Boat will conduct a keel laying ceremony for Pre Commissioning Unit (PCU) IDAHO (SSN 799), the U.S. Navy's newest and most advanced nuclear attack submarine, at a ceremony at its shipyard in Quonset Point, Rhode Island on Monday, Aug 24, at 10:00 AM Eastern Time. Electric Boat is a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD).

The submarine IDAHO is the 26th ship of the Virginia Class and the fifth Navy Ship to bear the name of IDAHO. The central characteristic of the class is the modularity derived from the design/build approach, which supports efficient construction and mission capability. This provides the U.S. Navy with a submarine class that advances the state-of-the-art with each succeeding ship. Submarine IDAHO’s adaptability will make it highly responsive to evolving mission requirements.

Teresa Stackley is the ship sponsor. She is the wife of former Acting Navy Secretary Sean Stackley. Ms. Stackley has many fond memories of her time growing up in the Groton area when her father worked in the shipyard. “I am deeply honored to have been selected as the Sponsor for USS IDAHO, and will undertake this responsibility with great devotion to the crew and family members of the USS IDAHO,” said Stackley.

Former Governor Dirk Kempthorne will represent the USS IDAHO Commissioning Committee as the Chairman of its Advisory Board and the State of Idaho. “This is a unique opportunity to have a ship of the line named in honor of the Great State of Idaho. The last ship commissioned as the USS IDAHO was over a hundred years ago in 1919. The USS IDAHO BB42 saw service in WWII and played a key role in the Battle of Iwo Jima. Idaho has a rich naval history that spans the entire state from Camp Farragut in Northern Idaho to Naval Reactors Facility at the Idaho National Lab. In fact, much of the acoustic technology on the future USS IDAHO was developed on Lake Pend Oreille at the Navy Research Facility in Bayview Idaho. The vision of the Commissioning Committee is to bring together the people of Idaho and the officers and crew of the IDAHO to create a bond that will last throughout the life of the ship and beyond. We want to honor the men and women that have served our nation and the State of Idaho and the men and women that will serve on the USS IDAHO and the families that will support them” said Kempthorne.

“There is a strong tradition of honor and service in the State of Idaho, and it makes me proud this naval ship will bear that name,” Governor Little said. “I’d like to extend a special thanks to the Commissioning Committee and Governor Kempthorne for representing the State of Idaho at this keel laying ceremony.”

The keel laying of a ship is a time-honored Navy tradition. In the days of wooden ships, the start of construction was marked by the laying of the keel – the backbone of the vessel. Shipbuilders and sailors refer to the bottom centerline of the submarine as the keel.

Sponsor Teresa Stackley will lay the keel of the USS IDAHO at 10:30am, August 24, 2020 at the Quonset Point Facility of General Dynamics Electric Boat in North Kingston, RI. Attendance is by invitation only.

A live webcast will be available at the below link and will begin at approximately 10:15am on August 24.