NEWPORT NEWS, Va. >> Jill Biden, the wife of Vice President Joe Biden, marked the beginning of construction on the future USS Delaware submarine.

As the sponsor for the Delaware, a Virginia-class attack submarine, Jill Biden hosted the keel-laying ceremony in Newport News, Virginia, on Saturday.

Jill Biden’s father, Donald C. Jacobs, served as a naval signalman during World War II. Biden says she is honored to be the ship’s sponsor and says her husband is proud of her.

Serving as a ship’s sponsor is a responsibility steeped in Navy tradition. When construction is complete, Biden will break a bottle against the ship during the christening ceremony. Then, when the Delaware is ready to join the fleet, she will call the crew onboard for its commissioning.