NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Former Vice President Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden plan to visit a Virginia shipyard that builds aircraft carriers and submarines.
The Daily Press reported Wednesday that Joe Biden will meet Friday with union leaders as well as workers at Newport News Shipbuilding.
Jill Biden is scheduled on Saturday to christen the future Delaware. It’s the Navy’s newest Virginia-class attack submarine.
Jill Biden will smash a bottle of sparkling wine across the bow during the christening.
A native of Delaware, she was named the sponsor of the Delaware when her husband was vice president.
“One of the best parts of serving as second lady is the chance to meet so many members of our military. I am always inspired by their strength and resilience," she said in 2012, when the submarine’s name was announced.
“No matter what challenges they face, our men and women in uniform serve with courage and distinction. They are the reason we have the best, most-powerful military in the world,” Jill Biden said then, quoted in a Defense Department release. “They need the very best equipment and technology that we can provide them with and soon that will include the USS Delaware.”
The shipyard is a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries. It builds the nuclear-powered subs in partnership with General Dynamics Electric Boat of Groton, Connecticut.
