By Associated Press - Thursday, April 27, 2017

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (AP) - The Navy’s newest fast attack nuclear-powered submarine will be christened the USS Indiana this weekend at a Virginia shipyard.

Former Indiana governor Vice President Mike Pence will deliver remarks at Saturday’s ceremony in Newport News, Virginia.

The Navy says the submarine will help the U.S. maintain its undersea superiority well into the 21st century. Acting Navy Secretary Sean Stackley calls the vessel a “technological marvel.”

The nearly 380-foot-long sub’s reactor won’t require refueling during the ship’s entire planned life.

Construction began in 2012 on the USS Indiana, which is the Navy’s 16th Virginia-class fast attack submarine.

It’s the third Navy vessel christened with the name Indiana. The two others were battleships, one used during the 1898 Spanish-American War and the other in the Pacific Theater during World War II.

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