USS Delaware submarine is coming to Wilmington. What you need to know

A ceremony to celebrate the commissioning of the nuclear-powered USS Delaware (SSN 791) submarine will take place at the Port of Wilmington on Saturday, marking 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. 

While the Virginia-class submarine was administratively commissioned underwater due to COVID-19 complications in April 2020, Saturday’s event will commemorate the ceremonial inauguration of the 7,800-ton vessel. 

The invitation-only ceremony, which is being held in a restricted area at the Port of Wilmington, will begin at 11 a.m. and will be live-streamed for public viewing here. 

Ceremony Livestream:Watch USS Delaware commemorative commissioning

The sub, however, is expected to arrive in Wilmington early Tuesday afternoon where it will remain for the duration of the week. For security reasons, the public will not be able to watch its arrival or commemoration from the banks of the Delaware River. 

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. 

In 2012, Newark resident Steven Llanso sent a letter to the editor in The News Journal, suggesting that the Navy name one of its new submarines after the First State. The Navy had recently announced it would name the new batch of submarines after states that had not been represented in decades. 

“They missed an obvious candidate and should rectify that oversight by naming the SSN 791 after Delaware,” Llanso wrote in his letter. “I know our Vice President Biden is too bashful to weigh in on this question, so I leave it to The News Journal to take up the cry.”

QUIET COMMISSIONING:USS Delaware commissioned administratively, transitioned to normal duty

Following Llanso’s public plea, then-Rep. John Carney and Sens. Tom Carper and Chris Coons sent a letter to the secretary of the Navy, urging him to name a submarine after Delaware. 

Months later, the Navy agreed. 

Today, the submarine, which runs with a 136-member crew, will be able to operate for over 30 years without ever refueling due to its nuclear power. The vessel was the first U.S. submarine to be commissioned underwater. 

CHRISTENING THE SUB:USS Delaware nuclear sub christened on Saturday

First lady 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. 

Biden first entered the sponsorship role in 2012 during her time as second lady and helped christen the submarine with a ceremonial bottle breaking in 2018.