The Honorable Carlos Del Toro, Secretary of the Navy, recently delivered the principal address at the christening ceremony of the future USS Arkansas. Additional remarks were made by The Honorable Phillip Jones, Mayor of Newport News; Mark Rayha, President of General Dynamics Electric Boat; Admiral William “Bill” Houston, Director of the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program; and U.S. Representative French Hill of Arkansas’s Second District.
The submarine’s sponsors included six women of the Little Rock Nine: Dr. Melba Pattillo Beals, Elizabeth Eckford, Gloria Ray Karlmark, Carlotta Walls Lanier, Minnijean Brown Trickey and Thelma Mothershed Wair. In 1957, these nine African American students became the first people of color to attend Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas, following the Supreme Court’s 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision declaring school segregation unconstitutional. Their integration required protection from the federalized Arkansas National Guard under President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s order.
Although all members of the Little Rock Nine were honored, Carlotta Walls Lanier, Elizabeth Eckford and Gloria Ray Karlmark represented the group at the event.
“With her advanced systems, the Nation’s best and brightest crew, and her formidable presence, USS Arkansas will play a vital role in maintaining our strategic advantage, ensuring our readiness to respond to any challenge, and protecting our Nation’s interests, both at home and abroad,” said Secretary Del Toro. “I am honored to have members of the Little Rock Nine serving as her sponsors—and I know their spirit of resilience will guide this ship and her crew wherever they sail.”
The future USS Arkansas will be the 27th Virginia-class submarine and the fifth naval vessel to bear the name. The original Arkansas was a Civil War-era screw steamer, followed by an Arkansas-class monitor in 1902, a Wyoming-class battleship in 1912, and a Virginia-class nuclear-powered guided missile cruiser from 1980 to 1998.
Virginia-class submarines are designed for versatile missions in both littoral and deep waters, including anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface ship warfare, strike warfare, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance. Their stealth, endurance and firepower enable them to support key maritime strategy capabilities, including sea control, power projection, forward presence, maritime security and deterrence. These features ensure the submarine force can promote regional stability and peace across international waters.
Photo Credit: Congressman French Hill/Facebook
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