The US launches a $2.7 billion super submarine.

The U.S. Navy recently launched the USS Colorado, the 15th submarine of the Virginia-class nuclear attack submarines.

Annie Mabus, daughter of Navy Secretary Ray Mabus and also a sponsor, smashed a bottle of wine during the ship's launch ceremony. Photo: AP

Annie Mabus, daughter of U.S. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, smashed a bottle of wine made from grapes grown in Denver, Colorado, during the launch ceremony for the newest U.S. submarine on December 3. The vessel, named USS Colorado, is set to join a fleet of 300 ships by 2019.

According to AP, Annie, a sponsor of the USS Colorado submarine, was present at the ceremony at the Electric Boat shipyard in Groton, Connecticut, along with her father and officials. The bottle of wine was chilled in an ice bucket made from water from the Colorado River.

Secretary Mabus shared that this was his final event since the Obama administration appointed him as the head of the Navy in 2009.

"I couldn't find a more beautiful ship, a more beautiful place, and more wonderful people to celebrate this final launch with," Minister Mabus said at the ceremony.

The 115-meter-long vessel is the 15th of the Virginia-class nuclear attack submarines, each costing $2.7 billion. The submarines are designed for anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, reconnaissance, and the deployment of special forces units.

The USS Colorado was built as part of the third batch, with several improvements such as a more modern sonar system and the replacement of the 12 old vertical launch tubes with 2 new modular launch tubes containing 6 missiles each.

The Virginia-class nuclear attack submarine is being built as part of a collaboration between Electric Boat and Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia. Construction of the USS Colorado began in 2012. The ship's captain is Lieutenant Commander Ken Franklin, who has served on submarines since 2009.

The USS Colorado submarine is the fourth vessel to bear the name of the state of Colorado. The first was a three-masted escort ship launched at the Norfolk shipyard in 1856, followed by a Pennsylvania-class armored cruiser built during World War I, and the third was a Colorado-class battleship built during World War II.

According to Zing