Port?Canaveral?to Host?USS Indiana's?Commissioning

The U.S. Navy’s newest fast-attack submarine, the USS Indiana (SSN 789), will be commissioned at Naval Ordnance Test Unit (NOTU) in Florida on September 29, 2018. A series of commissioning-related events will be held at Port Canaveral prior to and after the commissioning ceremony. 

The commissioning ceremony is a U.S. Navy tradition to mark the official entry of a vessel into the Navy’s fleet. The USS Indiana is the third U.S. Navy ship and the first submarine to carry the state of Indiana's name.

This will be the first submarine commissioning at Port Canaveral, but it is the third naval ship commissioning to be held at the port. The USS Mason (DDG 87) was commissioned in April 2003 and the USS Porter (DDG 78) in March 1999. 

“The commissioning of the USS Indiana will be a special day of pride for our port. It has been many years in the making and we are honored to play a role in this historic event,” said Captain John Murray, Port CEO.

The series of USS Indiana commissioning events will start with a five-kilometer run on Friday morning, September 28 starting at the port’s Exploration Tower. The formal commissioning ceremony will take place Saturday morning, September 29 at NOTU. Attendance at the commissioning event is by the Navy’s invitation only. Following the ceremony, the commissioning committee will host public tours and a public post-commissioning reception. On Sunday morning, September 30, the commissioning committee will host a morning prayer service at Port Canaveral’s Jetty Park.

USS Indiana departs for sea trials, May 2018 (John Whalen - Huntington Ingalls Industries)

The Navy says that USS Indiana will help the U.S. maintain its undersea superiority well into the 21st century. The USS Indiana is one of eight vessels in the Virginia-class Block III contract, in which the Navy redesigned approximately 20 percent of the ship to reduce acquisition costs.  The reactor of the 380-foot-long nuclear submarine will not require refueling during the boat's entire planned life.

Port Canaveral does not have tickets to the commissioning, nor will the Port have invitations to distribute to any individuals or groups interested in attending. For more information, please visit the USS Indiana Commissioning Committee’s ceremony home page at http://www.ussindiana.org/events/commissioning.html.

 

USS Indiana christening ceremony in Newport News, Virginia, attended by Vice President Mike Pence, April 2017 (Photo: Huntington Ingalls Industries)