Move over, Miami Sound Machine — Gloria Estefan is teaming up with a Miami submarine. The “Conga” singer was on-hand as the U.S. Navy announced its latest vessel would be named after the Florida city.
“Miami is a shining example of what happens when a city welcomes all who come seeking a better life,” Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro said in a Tuesday announcement about the nuclear-powered attack sub, which will be called the USS Miami.
Grammy Award winner Estefan will serve as the vessel’s sponsor, which the Navy said in a news release means she’ll engage in “a lifelong relationship with the ship and crew.”
The 66-year-old performer and her husband, Emilio Estefan, along with Blue Star Families founder and CEO Kathy Roth-Douquet, helped kick off the inaugural Miami Fleet Week concert, hosted by Blue Star Families, on Tuesday for 1,800 sailors and Marines.
“We are so thankful as citizens of this great country to have all of you out there protecting and serving all of us,” Estefan told the crowd, according to the Navy.
Roth-Douquet was recognized with the Navy’s Distinguished Public Service Award, the highest such honor for a civilian, at the event, which was headlined by the band The Wailers.
