--- description: Navy Secretary Ray Mabus chose Sandberg to christen the USS Massachusetts title: Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg to Sponsor Navy Submarine image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta95d97c5da1866b9/698870b20b72e3c2ca6e6c8a/gettyimages-489458064.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Military](/tag/military/) ## Military Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg to Christen Navy Submarine by [Daniel White](/author/daniel-white/) ## Daniel White Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 12, 2015 12:45 AM CUT  Facebook Chief Operating Officer and founder of LeanIn.Org Sheryl Sandberg (L) and U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter deliver remarks after hosting a 'Lean In Circle' with female members of the military at the Pentagon September 21, 2015 in Arlington, Virginia. Carter announced that the Department of Defense will now allow and encourage men and women in the armed forces to form and participate in 'Lean In Circles,' small groups of people who meet regularly and offer peer support while talking openly about gender issuses. Facebook Chief Operating Officer and founder of LeanIn.Org Sheryl Sandberg (L) and U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter deliver remarks after hosting a 'Lean In Circle' with female members of the military at the Pentagon September 21, 2015 in Arlington, Virginia. Carter announced that the Department of Defense will now allow and encourage men and women in the armed forces to form and participate in 'Lean In Circles,' small groups of people who meet regularly and offer peer support while talking openly about gender issuses.Chip Somodevilla—Getty Images by [Daniel White](/author/daniel-white/) ## Daniel White Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 12, 2015 12:45 AM CUT U.S. Navy officials chose Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg to christen their newest submarine. Sandberg, known for her “Lean In” campaign advocating women’s empowerment has a standing relationship with the Navy, according to the [Associated Press](http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/-Facebooks-Sheryl-Sandberg-to-Sponsor-New-Navy-Submarine-346134042.html "undefined"). Navy Secretary Ray Mabus picked Sandberg to sponsor the USS Massachusetts because of her potential to connect the Navy with the American public, according to Mabus’ spokesman Capt. Patrick McNally. “Expanding the variety of people who serve as sponsors is another avenue to strengthen that connection,” McNally told the AP in an email. Women always sponsor naval vessels, but were historically often the wives of senior officers or politicians with close relations to the Navy. As per Navy legend, a sponsor, who christens the ship, is said to leave a ship with her personality. Sandberg has previously offered Mabus praise for reforming Navy personnel policies to give women more power. In 2010, the Navy lifted its ban on women serving aboard submarines. \[[AP](http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/-Facebooks-Sheryl-Sandberg-to-Sponsor-New-Navy-Submarine-346134042.html "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4109494/sheryl-sandberg-navy-sub/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4109494/sheryl-sandberg-navy-sub/"},"headline":"Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg to Christen Navy Submarine","datePublished":"2015-11-12T00:45:26.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T12:32:19.580Z","description":"Navy Secretary Ray Mabus chose Sandberg to christen the USS Massachusetts","url":"https://time.com/4109494/sheryl-sandberg-navy-sub/","keywords":["Military","Sheryl Sandberg","U.S. Navy"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta95d97c5da1866b9/698870b20b72e3c2ca6e6c8a/gettyimages-489458064.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Daniel White","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/daniel-white/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta95d97c5da1866b9/698870b20b72e3c2ca6e6c8a/gettyimages-489458064.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Defense Secretary Carter And Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg Meet At Pentagon","caption":"Defense Secretary Carter And Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg Meet At Pentagon","creditText":"Chip Somodevilla—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/military/","name":"Military"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4109494/sheryl-sandberg-navy-sub/","name":"Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg to Christen Navy Submarine"}}]}] ```