DES MOINES, Iowa (KCAU) — A new submarine with Iowa’s name is going to be formally commissioned the first weekend in April.

A release from the USS IOWA SSN 797 Commissioning Committee states that the new Virginia-Class attack submarine will be commissioned Saturday, April 5 at the Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, Connecticut.

The ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. EST and concludes several days of events marking the occasion. Public tours of the ship will follow the ceremony. The event is open to the public, however ticketing is required and strictly controlled by the US NAVY. Christie Vilsack, former Iowa first lady, is the ship’s sponsor and will also attend the commissioning.

According to the commissioning committee’s website, the USS IOWA SSN 797 is a fast-attack submarine powered by a nuclear reactor. It has Photonics masts that uses thermal imaging and low-light cameras that replace the telescope. It also used pump jet propulsion for quieter movement. It is 377 feet long and weighs 7,800 tons. It will be crewed by 15 officers and 117 enlisted.

The USS IOWA will be the 24th Virginia-class submarine. There will eventually total 38 submarines with most bearing states’ names.

Commissioning is the fifth and final event for when a ship becomes a fighting vessel. The fist is the naming, followed by the keel-laying that mark the start of construction. The next is the christening followed by the delivering to the Navy.

“The commissioning ceremony is the most important event in the building and activation of a Navy vessel,” said Capt. Doug MacCrea USN (Retired), chairman of the USS IOWA Commissioning Committee. “This marks the moment the USS Iowa becomes an active part of the fleet. During the ceremony the ship’s Captain will give the order to ‘Man the ship and bring her to life’ and that is when the ship officially becomes the USS Iowa.”

This is the fourth ship to bear Iowa’s name. The most recent was a battleship that served from 1942 to 1949 and again from 1951 to 1958 and finally from 1984 to 1990 when she was officially decommissioned. It now laying Los Angeles as a museum.

For tickets to the commissioning ceremony, click here.