GROTON, Conn. (AP) — First lady Michelle Obama, the sponsor of a Navy submarine named after her home state of Illinois, is christening the vessel at a ceremony Saturday at a Connecticut shipyard. Navy tradition calls for Obama to smash a bottle of champagne against the hull of the future USS Illinois. The $2.7 billion vessel is the 13th in the Virginia class of submarines, which can carry out a range of missions including anti-submarine warfare, delivery of special forces and surveillance.