USS North Carolina (SSN 777) commissioning today

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
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Navy or ship mavens: The 5th US Navy ship to bear the USS North Carolin name will be commissioned today with ceremonies starting at 10 a.m. (EDT) at the NC State Port in Wilmington, NC. Video may be streamed from local tv station, (NBC affiliate) WECT.com. It will be aired live from 10-noon on (ABC affiliate) WWAY TV3 and on tape on WECT TV6 Local news article at:

http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20080503/ARTICLE/805030301/1004&title=New__Carolina__flexes_its_muscle__Submarine_boasts_cutting_edge_technology
FYI, the 7,800-ton nuclear-powered fast attack sub was tugged up the Cape Fear River on Wednesday, passing the first ship to carry that name, sunk in the Civil War. Then she moored a 1/2 mile downstream from the 4th USS NC, WWII battleship, BB55, now permanently moored on the right bank of the river across from Downtown Wilmington.

Sorry I can’t make the “by invitation ticket” ceremony. All the 6,000 tickets are taken. And I missed Hillary in town on Tuesday night and Barack on Wednesday.

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Well, she became the *PCU North Carolina * became the *USS North Carolina * at 1055 hours this date, by order of Secnav Winter, with US Senator Elizabeth and US Representative Mike McIntyre, and 6,000 others in attendance on a sunny Carolina blue day. The officers and crew are now boarding her and manning the “rails”, to the strains of Anchors Aweigh.
“PCU” = Pre-Commissioned Unit.

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Ah , I see it has root permissions

Declan