In a ceremony May 16, at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper and the Colorado Thirty Group presented a bronze sculpture of the future USS Colorado's (SSN 788) ship crest to Rear Adm. Bill Merz, director for undersea warfare (OPNAV N97), who was accepting the sculpture on behalf of the Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. John Richardson. U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn was also present for the ceremony.

The sculpture was presented to commemorate the christening and future commissioning of Colorado and to honor the men and women who will serve aboard the submarine.

"It is a great honor to have a ship named after our state and its people," Hickenlooper said. "It is important the crew knows the state of Colorado cares about them and supports them."

Colorado is the 15th Virginia-class fast attack submarine and the fifth Virginia-class Block III submarine. The ship began construction in 2015, was christened in a ceremony is December 2016 and is scheduled to commission later this year. This next-generation attack submarine provides the Navy with the capabilities required to maintain the nation's undersea superiority well into the 21st century.

"The paternal bond between state and boat is very important, especially during long deployments. The support you give us means an awful lot," said Merz. "You should be very proud of your ship. We're looking forward to her joining the fleet."

Colorado has the capability to attack targets ashore with highly accurate Tomahawk cruise missiles and conduct covert long-term surveillance of land areas, littoral waters or other sea-based forces. Other missions include anti-submarine and anti-ship warfare; mine delivery and minefield mapping; and special forces delivery and support.

For more information about the Virginia-class submarines http://www.navy.mil/navydata/fact_display.asp?cid=4100&tid=100&ct=4