NAVAL STATION NORFOLK — The Navy on Saturday commissioned the USS John Warner, adding a 12th Virginia-class submarine to the fleet and celebrating the legacy of its namesake, the retired senator who was hailed as a statesman.

Warner represented Virginia in the U.S. Senate for 30 years and became an influential voice on defense policy. The former third class petty officer who served in World War II and later as a Marine in the Korean War watched as sailors ran onto the boat during the ceremony at Naval Station Norfolk.

Warner’s wife, Jeanne, who served as ship’s sponsor, spurred the crew to action with the command: “Man our ship and bring her to life.”

Like other Virginia-class subs, the Warner was built in a teaming arrangement between Newport News Shipbuilding, a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries, and General Dynamics Electric Boat of Groton, Conn. The two shipyards are the sole builders of nuclear-powered submarines for the Navy.

The two shipyards each build components of the submarines and alternate on final assembly and delivery to the Navy. At a time when the military faces criticism for cost overruns on weapons programs, the Navy considers this partnership to be one of its success stories.

Read the full article here.