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It is anchors aweigh for Mountain Home government officials, educators, NJROTC cadets, and students as they travel to Newport News, VA, for the christening of the USS Arkansas.
The historic ceremony, scheduled for December 7 at Newport News Shipbuilding, marks a significant milestone for both the nuclear attack submarine and the Mountain Home community, which has formed a special bond with the vessel and its crew over the past year.
The USS Arkansas (SSN 800), a Virginia-class submarine, represents the fifth naval vessel to bear the Arkansas name and will feature the latest advances in stealth, intelligence gathering, and weapons systems technology.
The submarine’s sponsor group consists of six women from the Little Rock Nine — Dr. Melba Pattillo Beals, Elizabeth Eckfor, Gloria Ray Karlmark, Carlotta Walls Lanier, Minnijean Brown Trickey, and Thelma Mothershed Wair — who made history as the first African American students to attend Central High School in Little Rock.
The connection between Mountain Home and the USS Arkansas began last year when the submarine adopted Mountain Home High School’s Naval Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (NJROTC) program as its official high school partner. The partnership was initiated through NJROTC Commander Allan Hale, a Navy veteran who served as Executive Officer of the USS Bremerton.
During the submarine’s first visit to Mountain Home, then-Commanding Officer Vincent “Adam” Kahnke expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership.
“We really want to turn this into a mentorship engagement with Mountain Home and the NJROTC unit,” Kahnke said after receiving the key to the city. “Commander Hale reached out to us at the perfect time, because we were looking for somebody to partner up with for the submarine back in its home state of Arkansas. It’s really Commander Hale’s enthusiasm that brought us out here, and we are really, really thrilled.”
Current Commanding Officer Commander Michael J. Huber recently visited Mountain Home for Veterans Day, where he emphasized the significance of the submarine’s mission. “USS Arkansas will be the newest submarine in the naval fleet. It will be a historic moment in her construction milestones, not just for the state but for the entire nation,” Huber told attendees at the Veterans Day ceremony.
Saturday’s christening ceremony continues a rich naval tradition that stretches back to ancient times. The practice of christening ships began with early seafarers seeking divine protection from the unpredictable nature of the sea. Ancient Babylonians, Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans all performed elaborate ceremonies when launching new vessels, often sacrificing to their gods and pouring wine and water over their ships as blessings.
In American naval history, the first documented warship christening was that of the USS Constitution, the famous “Old Ironsides,” in Boston on October 21, 1797. Captain James Sever broke a bottle of Madeira wine over the bow as the ship entered the water “with such steadiness, majesty and exactness as to fill every heart with sensations of joy and delight.”
Mountain Home’s NJROTC unit, which has grown to 133 cadets under the leadership of Commander Hale and Chief Jason Williams, will play a special role in Saturday’s christening ceremony. The unit’s color guard has been selected to perform during the historic event, representing both their school and state during one of the Navy’s most time-honored traditions.
Following the christening, the USS Arkansas will undergo final outfitting and sea trials before joining the fleet, where it will house approximately 130 sailors and conduct missions ranging from intelligence gathering to precision strike capabilities. The submarine features the latest in stealth technology and will serve as part of America’s submarine force, which Commander Huber described as “the silent service” whose “work is critical to maintaining our nation’s security around the globe at the far depths of every ocean.”
The USS Arkansas is expected to enter service in 2025, carrying with it the pride of the Natural State and the special connection to the Mountain Home community as it conducts its vital national security missions beneath the world’s oceans. The key to Mountain Home, presented to Commander Kahnke during his visit, will remain aboard the submarine throughout its estimated 30-year service life, serving as a constant reminder of the strong bonds between the vessel and the Mountain Home community.
