U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner will deliver the keynote address when the USS Colorado submarine is commissioned Saturday at the Naval Submarine Base in Connecticut.

The Republican senator from Yuma is expected to talk about the submarine’s role in service to the nation and to express his pride in his home state’s namesake vessel.

“The USS Colorado will soon be the newest vessel in the greatest Navy the world has ever seen,” Gardner tells Colorado Politics. “It truly is an honor to deliver the keynote address at the commissioning ceremony and personally thank the men and women who built this submarine, along with our service members who will soon pilot the vessel around the world. The USS Colorado will surely make our state and country proud.”

Gardner will address a crowd that’s expected to exceed 2,000 Navy leader, politicos, shipbuilders, guests from Colorado and community leaders in at New London, Con.

You can watch the commissioning ceremony and Gardner’s speech at 9 a.m. Saturday by clicking here.

Cmdr. Reed Koepp, the Colorado’s commanding officer, said submarine is “ready to protect the homeland and project our power forward,” according to the wire service

“We’re really looking forward to this Saturday when we can introduce the Colorado as an official naval asset,” Koepp said.

The Colorado – 377-foot-long and weighing about 7,800 tons submerged – can fight submarines and surface ships, conduct surveillance and deliver Special Operations troops. It also can deliver up to six Tomahawk missiles from each of its two large tubes.

Koepp’s crew of 130 sailors includes men from Brighton, Denver and Littleton. Though women serve on submarines none have been assigned to the Colorado. Only about 1 in 5 submarines have integrated crews, according to the AP.

The vessel cost $2.7 billion.

The sub is the fourth U.S. Navy vessel named Colorado. The first launched in 1856 and served in the Civil War. It was named for the Colorado River, since Colorado didn’t become a state until 20 years later.

The second was a World War I escort for men and supplies to England. The third sailed in the Pacific during WWII, receiving seven battle stars, including two Kamikaze attacks.

Editor’s note: This story was updated with a fresh quote from Gardner.