The sub, built in Virginia, will be the fourth Navy vessel to carry the North Carolina name. It will also be the fourth in a new class of submarines designed for warfare after the Cold War, when the primary adversary was the Soviet Union.

About 5,000 people are expected to attend the ceremony at a State Ports dock on the Cape Fear River, just downriver from the World War II battleship USS North Carolina. The battleship, now a major tourist attraction, was the latest Navy vessel named for the state.

Navy Secretary Donald Winter will deliver the main address. Linda Bowman, wife of retired Adm. Frank L. "Skip" Bowman, will follow Navy tradition by giving the first order to "man our ship and bring her to life."

The ceremony will not be open to the public.

Navy Secretary Richard Danzig named the submarine in 2000 after reviewing requests from citizens, veterans and state representatives, according to a Navy spokesman. Construction, done jointly by Northrop Grumman Newport News and General Dynamics Electric Boat, began in October 2001. The sub was lowered into the water for the first time last May.

The crew of about 135 officers and enlisted men officially moved aboard last November. A series of sea trials was completed in February.

The USS North Carolina is 377 feet long and weighs 7,800 tons. The Navy says it cost $2.5 billion. The sub will carry some of the military's newest gadgets. It will be able to attack with missiles, torpedoes and mines, to skulk silently and to snoop or drop off special operations teams.

The Navy says the new class of submarines is needed to meet its missions, though some defense analysts question the need for expensive, sophisticated subs when terrorism is the nation's primary danger.

After its commissioning, the USS North Carolina will travel to Norfolk, then on to its home port of Groton, Conn., according to a Navy spokesman.