A miniature of the brand new USS Idaho, a nuclear submarine, will be on display on Friday, June 28, at the Malad Valley Welsh Festival. A float carrying the mock-up will be at Malad City Park from 9:00 – 5:00.  Although not very Welsh, this is a great opportunity for Festival attendees to see the U.S. Navy’s newest submarine.

The $2.6 billion Virginia-class submarine is the 26th vessel of its kind to be built.  The ship is 377 feet long, weighs 8,000 tons, and is four stories tall and four stories wide.

The submarine warship was formally christened on March 16 at General Dynamics Electric Shipyard in Groton, Connecticut, where it was built.  At the ceremony, ship sponsor Terry Stackley christened the ship in the traditional manner by breaking a bottle on the hull.  However, the USS Idaho Commissioning Committee wanted the christening to be unique to Idaho. The bottle was not full of champagne but full of water from four of Idaho’s lakes:  Lake Pend Oreille, Payette Lake, Henry’s Lake, and Redfish Lake.

“USS Idaho” has been the name of four naval vessels in the past including one in each of the world wars; those former battle ships earned seven battle stars. As former Governor Dirk Kempthorne of the USS Commissioning Committee said, “This is the first U.S. Navy warship to bear the Idaho name in more than 100 years.” The interior of the submarine will be decorated with pictures of sites in Idaho to remind the sailors of the namesake state.

Don Boes of Pocatello is in charge of displaying the miniature submarine at events throughout southeastern Idaho.  He and his crew are excited to be at the Welsh Festival
this year.