President Biden praised his wife Jill as an “incredible partner” in a brief 3-minute address Saturday at the ceremonial commissioning of the USS Delaware, the Navy’s newest nuclear-powered submarine.
“Jill has watched over the progress of the USS Delaware for years,” Biden asserted. Jill Biden was named the ship’s official sponsor in 2018, when she smashed a bottle of champagne over its hull to christen it as construction neared completion.
“She always holds military and their families in her heart. And that is not hyperbole, that is real,” Biden added.
The sub’s black turret loomed behind Biden as he spoke from the bunting-draped platform in bright spring sunshine.
The USS Delaware nuclear submarine is seen docked in the Port of Wilmington. REUTERS
The crowd at the commissioning ceremony. AP
Crew members board the USS Delaware nuclear submarine during a commemorative commissioning ceremony. REUTERSJill Biden was on hand to speak the traditional words that formalized the Delaware’s status as a fighting vessel — even though it has been at sea and in service for the past two years.
“Man our ship and bring her to life,” she ordered the crew.
“Aye aye, ma’am,” they responded.
When its original commissioning ceremony in April 2020 was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Delaware became the first Navy vessel ever to be commissioned while underwater.
Jill Biden was on hand to speak the traditional words that formalized the Delaware’s status as a fighting vessel. AP
“She always holds military and their families in her heart,” Biden said of his wife. REUTERSThe 377-foot-long sub, one of 19 Virginia-class fast attack submarines in the US Navy’s fleet, arrived in the Port of Wilmington this week in its namesake state so that it and her crew could finally receive its traditional welcome before a tightly limited audience of 1,500.
