Groton - After an initial setback, the attack submarine North Dakota is set to secure its place in the fleet. A commissioning ceremony for the submarine will take place Saturday at the Naval Submarine Base.

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert will be the keynote speaker at the ceremony, which begins at 11 a.m. and is by invitation only.

North Dakota's commissioning was initially set for the end of May, but the Navy postponed it to allow for additional testing due to issues related to the redesigned bow and component parts. As a result, North Dakota was drydocked on April 21 to allow Electric Boat to inspect parts with suspected deficiencies. Naval Sea Systems Command and EB conducted an investigation of the submarine and eventually concluded that it was prepared to go to sea.

Construction of the North Dakota began in March 2009, and the submarine was christened during a ceremony in November 2013.

North Dakota is the first submarine to have a redesigned bow with a new sonar array and two larger payload tubes instead of 12 individual, vertical-launch missile tubes.

The submarine will be able to launch Tomahawk cruise missiles, deliver Special Forces and provide surveillance of land and sea.

EB led the redesign of the submarine and, despite the redesign issues, delivered North Dakota to the Navy on time and under cost by more than $30 million. The submarine received the highest-quality score to date, as measured by the Navy Board of Inspection and Survey.

Once commissioned, it will be the 11th member of the Virginia-class of nuclear-attack submarines and the Navy's newest addition to the submarine force. This class of submarines provides the Navy with the capabilities required to retain undersea dominance well into the 21st century, according to EB.

North Dakota is the second Navy ship, and first submarine, to be named in honor of the people of "The Peace Garden State."

About 2,400 people are expected to attend the commissioning Saturday.

j.bergman@theday.com

Twitter: @JuliaSBergman