NEW LONDON, Conn. (AP) - Several dozen North Dakota residents are heading to Connecticut this weekend even though the event they were originally traveling for, the commissioning of a submarine named after the state, has been postponed.
The Navy announced last month that the commissioning ceremony for the USS North Dakota would be postponed because of several design changes.
But 58 of the roughly 500 North Dakota residents scheduled to attend couldn’t get flight or hotel refunds and decided to come anyway.
The U.S. Navy has scheduled a series of activities for them, including a tour of the $2.6 billion sub.
Bill Butcher, a veteran and vice chairman of the USS North Dakota Committee, is one of those coming to Connecticut.
“We are looking forward to having some good Connecticut lobster and clams” and escaping the 90-degree heat in North Dakota, he told The Day of New London (https://bit.ly/1wss2UY ).
And he will return for the commissioning ceremony, which has been rescheduled for “the coming months, possibly the fall,” according to the Navy.
Bob Wefald, chairman of the USS North Dakota Committee, said a lot of people have been looking forward to the ceremony.
The last time a Navy vessel was named after North Dakota was in 1910. It was a coal-fired, steam-powered battleship that was decommissioned in 1923.
“The people of North Dakota are just bursting with pride as we get ready for this second ship,” Wefald said.
Electric Boat spokesman Robert Hamilton said Wednesday that the shipbuilding company plans to complete the submarine by the contract deadline, which is Aug. 31.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.