Pictured is the North Carolina’s Auxiliary Machine Room (AMR). The AMR is the unit that was authenticated during the keel laying ceremony. Click here for a higher resolution image. Photo by John Whalen.

The keel laying ceremony for the Virginia-class submarine North Carolina was May 22, 2004 at Northrop Grumman Newport News. This ceremony marked the first milestone in the ship's construction. U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina was the keynote speaker for the ceremony.