The Navy is counting down to the christening of the submarine Mississippi at a shipyard in Groton.
Officials including Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus are expected to attend the ceremony on Dec. 3 at General Dynamics Electric Boat.
Construction on the Virginia-class attack submarine began in February 2007. It’s expected to be commissioned at a ceremony next June in Gulfport, Mississippi.
The sub is the fifth Navy vessel to carry the name Mississippi.
Electric Boat and Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia take turns delivering the Virginia-class subs, which cost about $2.6 billion each. They have capabilities that allow them to perform better in shallow water than other subs and were designed to help provide better support for special forces, an increasingly important aspect of naval strategy.