49 years ago today…

The keel-laying ceremony for submarines is symbolic and includes welding the initials of the ship’s sponsor onto a steel plate. This plate is then mounted in a place of honor on the submarine once it’s completed, serving as a reminder of the ship’s official beginning. 

USS Bremerton, SSN-698 keel laying took place on May 8, 1976 at the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corporation Groton, Connecticut.

The Ship’s sponsor, was Mrs. Helen Jackson, wife of Henry M. Jackson, US Senator from the State of Washington.