First meal held in new sub's galley

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (AP) — The crew of the fast-attack submarine Minnesota that's being constructed as Newport News Shipbuilding is marking a milestone of the culinary kind.

Officials say the about 120-person crew of the newest Virginia-class submarine enjoyed its first meal in the ship's galley on Thursday.

They were joined by the ship's sponsor, Minnesota native Ellen Roughead, and her husband, former Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead.

Huntington Ingalls Industries says the submarine is in the final stages of construction and testing.

The Minnesota is more than 96 percent complete and is on track to be delivered in late spring. Construction began in February 2008.