SECNAV Del Toro names Virginia-class attack submarine USS Miami and singer Gloria Estefan as sponsor

Miami singer Gloria Estefan will sponsor the 38th planned Virginia-class nuclear submarine named after her hometown.

On Tuesday, Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro announced during a concert with Estefan during Navy Fleet Week in Miami that the Block V attack boat will be named after the Florida city

“This shared history makes Miami one of the greatest cities in the world – and is 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 everyone 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 is doing and don’t just see it on the news, I think it really becomes clear,” she told a local television station this week.

The Virginia attack boat will be the tenth equipped with the Virginia payload module, which is designed to deploy 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. During World War II, then USS Miami (CL-89) fought during the Battle of Leyte Gulf. The last ship named after the city was the Los Angeles-class attack boat Miami (SSN-755). The submarine was decommissioned in 2014 after being damaged by arson during a maintenance period in 2012.

The naming of the attack boat follows Del Toro’s announcement in May at New York Fleet Week that the Block V Virginia attack boat SSN-810 would be named after San Francisco.

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