Keel laying set in Va for sub named after Warner

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (AP) — The nation's largest military shipbuilder is celebrating the keel laying for Virginia-class attack submarine named after former U.S. Sen. John Warner.

Huntington Ingalls Industries is hosting a ceremony Saturday in Newport News. Warner will be the keynote speaker. His wife, Jeanne, is the ship's sponsor.

Warner retired in 2009 after serving 30 years in the U.S. Senate.

The USS John Warner will honor the senator's many years of service in the Navy and Marine Corps. He served as Secretary of the Navy before entering politics in 1978.

While in the Senate, Warner served half of his career as either the chair or ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

The 7,800-ton, 377-foot-long submarine will have enhanced stealth, sophisticated surveillance capabilities and special warfare enhancements.