President Joe Biden is set to arrive in Delaware Friday afternoon ahead of a Saturday morning ceremony commemorating the commission of a nuclear-powered submarine named after the First State.
Biden will leave the White House just before 3:30 p.m. and arrive at New Castle Airport around 4:20 p.m. A presidential motorcade will then accompany him from the airport to his Greenville home.
The route typically affects traffic near I-95, Route 141 and Commons Boulevard.
Biden’s visit home, the first in several weeks, comes ahead of the Saturday celebration of the USS Delaware, a Virginia-class fast attack submarine. The President and First lady Jill Biden are both slated to speak at the event.
The vessel was administratively commissioned underwater in April 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions. Saturday’s invitation-only ceremony, which is being held in a restricted area at the Port of Wilmington, will begin at 11 a.m.
BACKGROUND ON THE SUB:A nuclear submarine bearing Delaware’s name has arrived in Wilmington’s port. What to know
The submarine is the seventh U.S. Navy ship to bear the name of the state of Delaware, with the first vessel named in 1776 during the Revolutionary War. This is the first time in nearly a century that the name of the First State has been used for a U.S. Navy vessel and the first time it’s ever been used for a submarine.
Jill Biden is the sponsor of the vessel, an honorary role in which she participates in the milestones of the submarine’s life. A sponsor’s spirit is meant to protect and guide the ship and its crew during its lifetime.
The submarine arrived in Wilmington early Tuesday afternoon and will remain at the port through Saturday’s ceremony. For security reasons, the public will not be able to watch the commemoration from the banks of the Delaware River but the ceremony will be livestreamed for public viewing at dvidshub.net/webcast/27989.
Reporter José Ignacio Castañeda Perez contributed to this report.
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