Office of Gov. Dennis Daugaard

500 E. Capitol Ave.

Pierre, S.D. 57501

(605) 773-3212

www.sd.gov

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  Friday, October 13, 2016

CONTACT:  Tony Venhuizen or Kelsey Pritchard at 605-773-3212

EDITORS/NEWS DIRECTORS:  For audio from the Governor on the USS South Dakota, visit news.sd.gov/media.aspx and click on “Video” or “Audio” under “Governor Dennis Daugaard.”

Gov. Daugaard To Speak At USS South Dakota Christening

PIERRE, S.D. – Gov. Dennis Daugaard will join Lt. Gov. Matt Michels and U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds in Groton, Connecticut, tomorrow morning to serve as the keynote speaker at the christening ceremony for the USS South Dakota SSN 790.

“South Dakotans can be proud that this Virginia-class submarine bears our state’s name,” Gov. Daugaard said. “The boat contains the Navy’s latest technology and will be lighter and faster than the previous class of submarines.”

At the conclusion of the ceremony, the boat’s sponsor, Deanie Dempsey, will break a bottle of Belle Joli sparkling wine on the submarine’s bow.

The christening is the second of three milestones for the USS South Dakota. The keel laying ceremony was held April 4, 2016, to recognize the beginning of construction and a commissioning ceremony to officially admit the USS South Dakota to the Navy is expected in 2018.

In 2016, Gov. Daugaard signed legislation appropriating $100,000 to the South Dakota Department of Military to support the USS South Dakota Commissioning Committee’s activities. The Committee has since raised additional funds from the private sector.

This boat is the third U.S. Navy vessel to be named after South Dakota, and is the first underwater vessel to bear the state’s name. The first USS South Dakota, a Pennsylvania-class armored cruiser, was christened in 1904. The ship was attached to the Pacific Fleet during the Mexican Civil War and to the Atlantic Fleet during World War I. It was renamed the USS Huron in 1920 and was decommissioned in 1927.

The second USS South Dakota was the first South Dakota-class battleship and was christened in 1941. This ship, known as “Old Incredible,” had two tours in the Pacific and one in the Atlantic during World War II. The ship’s 13 battle stars were matched only by the USS Washington. This USS South Dakota was decommissioned in 1947, and a memorial to the ship in Sioux Falls includes an outline of the ship’s main deck.

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