Miami chanteuse Gloria Estefan will be the sponsor of the 38th planned Virginia-class nuclear attack submarine named for her hometown.
On Tuesday, Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro announced that the Block V attack boat will be named for the Florida city during a concert featuring Estefan during the Navy’s fleet week in Miami
“That shared history is what makes Miami one of the greatest cities on Earth—and emblematic of what makes this country the greatest country in the world,” said Del Toro.
“Miami is a shining example of what happens when a city welcomes all who come seeking a better life.”
Estefan, whose father was in the Army and fought in the Vietnam War, performed as part of the fleet week program.
“We need the military in this country. I think when people come and see what they do. … I think when people see what our military does, [versus] just see them on the news, I think it really brings it home,” she told a local television station this week.
The Virginia attack boat will be the tenth outfitted with the Virginia Payload Module that is designed to field up to 28 Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles for a total of 32 for the boat.
The planned attack boat will be the fourth U.S. Navy ship for the city. The gunboat Miami was in action during the Civil War. In World War II, then-USS Miami (CL-89) fought during the Battle of Leyte Gulf. The last ship named for the city was the Los Angeles-class attack boat Miami (SSN-755). The submarine was decommissioned in 2014 after it was damaged by arson in 2012 during a maintenance period.
The naming of the attack boat follows Del Toro’s announcement in May at New York Fleet Week that Block V Virginia attack boat SSN-810 would be named after San Francisco.
