New Hampshire may have the shortest coastline of any American state that borders on the ocean, but the Granite State's presence on the sea – or, more to the point, under the sea – will soon be unprecedented.

Evidence of that was on display yesterday at the General Dynamics Electric Boat Shipyard on the Thames River in Groton, Conn.

That's where, under great pomp and pageantry, the USS New Hampshire, a $2.4 billion Virginia Class nuclear attack submarine, was christened.

The ceremonial honors went to Cheryl McGuinness of Portsmouth, whose husband, Thomas McGuinness, died when the plane he had been co-piloting, American Airlines Flight No. 11, slammed into the north tower of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.

After describing herself as "a symbolic shadow of the tragedy that struck our nation seven years ago," Mrs. McGuinness noted that, "There were many heroes who died that day, and many since, and so I ask, ‘What does a hero look like today?'"

She beamed as she looked out over the assembled officers and crew of the USS New Hampshire – 132 in all – as they stood at attention in their impossibly white uniforms on a sun-drenched platform that stretched over the black, conical hull of the vast ship that will be their home and workplace in the years to come.

"I believe I am looking at not one, but many heroes," she smiled. "You all are my heroes."

In a day that was occasionally leavened with sadness, it was a moment of pure joy, and after the Rev. Kenneth Suibielski offered the blessing of the ship, it was time for the moment of truth.

Cheryl McGuinness ascended the stairs that soared to the submarine's towering sail, the fin-shaped protrusion that houses the sophisticated fiber-optic, cable-imaging system that has rendered the periscope obsolete.

With John P. Casey, the president of General Dynamics Electric Boat at her side – and her daughter Jennifer McQueen standing nearby for moral support – Cheryl McGuinness gave a vigorous shake to the ceremonial, silver-wrapped bottle of champagne.

In order to face the crowd, she adopted a left-handed stance.

She held the bottle over her head.

"In the name of the United States," she proclaimed, "I christen you the USS New Hampshire, and may God bless her and all who serve aboard her." With that, she unleashed a swing that would have done David Ortiz proud, and the subsequent spray of champagne that dappled her hair and her pale orange blouse – and a delighted John Casey – was evidence of a job well done.

"I didn't even know I was a lefty," she laughed afterwards.

And hers was not the only job well done on this day, as the men and women of General Dynamics Electric Boat drew plaudits from every speaker, time and again. "We expected great things from the New Hampshire from the outset," John Casey said, "but we exceeded those expectations when we put New Hampshire on track to be delivered in 72 months, which was 12 months shorter than the previous delivery time of any Virginia Class submarine."

The New Hampshire is the fifth sub in that class, and if there were any doubts that the ship would be warmly embraced as a point of pride for all Granite Staters, those doubts were put to rest by U.S. Rep Carol Shea-Porter.

After pausing at the podium, the New Hampshire congresswoman who serves on the House Armed Service Committee surveyed the ship and the crew before her, smiled, and announced, "New Hampshire has come to pick up the keys!"

A key factor in the naming of the submarine was the effort put forth in 2003 by students from the Garrison Elementary and Dover Middle Schools, who launched a letter-writing campaign urging then-Secretary of the Navy Gordon England to name the submarine in honor of the Granite State.

In a prepared statement, Sen. John Sununu acknowledged their efforts yesterday.

"Five years later, the students' hard work has paid off," he stated, "as today's christening marks the end of the construction phase of the fast-attack submarine. Meanwhile, Granite Staters can look forward to viewing our new namesake ship this October, when the commissioning of the New Hampshire takes place at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard."

Even to veteran submariners, the ship is a thing of awesome beauty.

Admiral Kirkland H. Donald, who is the director of the Navy's nuclear propulsion program, called her "a national treasure." U.S. Rep. Joseph Courtney (D-Conn.), also of the House Armed Services Committee, called the sub a "technical marvel," and then there are the four sailors from New Hampshire who are simply happy to call the ship home.

They are Machinist's Mate 1st Class Jim Guild from Portsmouth, Electronics Technician 1st Class Tom Chase from Farmington, Lt. Donnie Carmichael from Grantham and Electronics Technician Seaman Ryan Bourrie from Concord.

Their new home is 337 feet long – easily longer than a football field – and yet she will be able to dive to more than 800 feet below sea level while traveling in excess of 25 knots. Her array of armaments will include Tomahawk land-attack missiles, Mark 48 advanced capabilities torpedoes and advanced mobile mines.

The sub's complement of Navy SEALs might also qualify as armaments, and they can be deployed via a nine-man lockout chamber that can also accommodate a mini-sub – it's called the Advanced SEAL Delivery System – for clandestine operations.

The skipper of the USS New Hampshire is Commander Michael Stevens, a 1990 graduate of the United States Naval Academy and a 17-year veteran of the submarine force, whose most recent deployment was aboard another Virginia Class sub – the USS Texas – as executive officer.

"It already looks to be the most capable of the Virginia Class," he said last October, as he watched the ship's modular sections come together, "and a key for us is to have the people of New Hampshire think of this as their boat."

Perhaps that's why they chose yesterday for the christening, since it was 220 years to the day that New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the Constitution of the United States, a milestone in our nation's history.

And yesterday was a milestone in the life of Cheryl McGuinness.

"The crew of this ship is very special, and I'm going to do everything I can to support them," said the woman who, as the ship's official sponsor, saw her initials welded onto a steel plate affixed to the hull during the New Hampshire's keel-laying ceremony back in April of 2007.

"Whenever you go through a painful process, there is a rebirth," she added. "This is a rebirth, and for me, the USS New Hampshire will always be a part of that rebirth."