Submarine Named for District of Columbia in Formal Ceremony (Dec. 14, 2016) (photos)

Members of a United States Navy Color Guard stand at attention. District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser joined Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus for the naming ceremony for the USS Columbia, the USNS Puerto Rico and the USNS Earl Warren. The USS Columbia is the first ship of the new fleet ballistic missile submarines (SSBN), formerly known as the Ohio-class replacement. It is named in honor of the District of Columbia. The State of Connecticut houses the largest builders of submarines in the U.S. which accounted for the presence the the State’s 2 Senators at the ceremony. Both of Justice Sonia Sotomayor, whose parents were born in Puerto Rico was given the honor of presenting the ship named after that U.S. territory. The ceremony took place at the John A. Wilson Building in the Mayor’s Ceremonial Room in Washington D.C. on Wednesday, December 14, 2016.

*You can view Jeff Malet’s photos of the ceremony by clicking on the photo icons below.*