When the Virginia-class submarine USS Hawai'i arrives at Pearl Harbor this morning, it will be a new source of pride for a state with a long Navy tradition, a new source of work for the shipyard, and the harbinger of a new era of undersea military activity in the Pacific.

The $2.5 billion submarine, the Navy's first major combat ship designed for a post-Cold War environment, is scheduled to arrive at 9:30 a.m. at the sub base to a welcome by Gov. Linda Lingle and other dignitaries, a band, a blessing and a haka, and a flyover by the Hawai'i National Guard.

As is customary for a new arrival, a giant lei will be placed on the 377-foot nuclear submarine's sail.

The Hawai'i is the first of the Navy's latest-generation attack submarines to be based in the Pacific, and the first of at least three of the Virginia-class subs destined for Hawai'i in the near future.

"We're extremely excited to have the first Virginia-class submarine be the namesake (of our state) — the USS Hawai'i," said Lt. Cmdr. Dave Benham, a spokesman for the U.S. Pacific Fleet submarine force.

The Hawai'i will make some visits around the state, but it will be busier in other parts of the world.

The Pentagon in 2006 decided to shift 60 percent of the Navy's attack submarines to the Pacific. Until then, there had been about an even split between the Atlantic and Pacific.

By the end of the year, there will be 31 U.S. attack submarines in the Pacific and 22 in the Atlantic. Eighteen will be based at Pearl Harbor — the most in the Pacific — with the addition of the Hawai'i and fall arrival of another Virginia-class sub, the USS Texas.

U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye, D-Hawai'i, has said the USS North Carolina also will make Hawai'i its home. Initially, Pearl Harbor and Groton, Conn., will be the homeports for all Virginia-class submarines.

The U.S. Navy is increasing its submarine force in the Pacific as a number of Pacific Rim nations do the same.

China, which has more than 50 attack submarines, is rapidly expanding its military as it seeks to develop a "blue water" navy capable of operating farther from its offshore waters.

Singapore, Japan, South Korea, India, Pakistan, Malaysia and Australia are also among nations adding submarines.

Brad Glosserman, executive director of the Pacific Forum Center for Strategic and International Studies in Honolulu, noted the economic importance of the region's waterways, with 57 percent of global shipping capacity moving between the Pacific and Indian oceans via the Malacca Strait alone.

"What it means with 60 percent of our subs over here is that we're recognizing that this is an extraordinarily vital region to U.S. interests, and not only is it vital, but it represents a greater security threat," Glosserman said.

BIGGER AND BETTER

Pearl Harbor already has 16 Los Angeles-class subs, which were first deployed in 1976.

At 377 feet, the Virginia-class is 17 feet longer and at 7,800 tons, is 900 tons bigger than the Los Angeles-class subs. The Hawai'i has a crew of 134.

The Virginia class is designed for anti-submarine and surface ship warfare; special operation force insertion; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; and mine warfare.

Gone is the traditional hull-penetrating periscope. Two "photonics masts" house color, high-resolution black-and-white and infrared digital cameras atop telescoping arms. With the removal of the barrel periscope, the ship's control room was moved down one deck and away from the hull's curvature, creating more room.

The Navy is placing more emphasis on the nearshore shallows where ships and commerce are concentrated, and Virginia-class subs have a control system that allows for improved handling in shallow waters.

The subs have six side-mounted sonar arrays, plus arrays in the bow, sail and nose, improving capabilities for eavesdropping and mapping the ocean floor and minefields.

Changes in the design and way 4,000-pound torpedoes are stored have freed up room to carry up to 24 torpedoes or berths for 30 SEAL commandos. There's also a lock-out trunk for SEAL operations that can hold 11 people, instead of two on Los Angeles-class submarines, meaning quicker deployments.

PEARL HARBOR READY

The Virginia class is a replacement for the deeper-diving but more expensive Seawolf class. Three Seawolf subs were built and they are all based in Washington state.

The Virginia class has meant changes for Pearl Harbor shipyard, where 90 percent of the work done by the shipyard's 4,200 civilian and 500 Navy workers is on submarines.

More than 7,000 days have been invested in training for the arrival of Virginia-class subs, officials said. The shipyard will service Hawai'i's 18 subs and 11 surface ships and three subs based in Guam.

Officials said the arrival of the Virginia class will mean steady repair work, while the Hawai'i homeporting is expected to add $17 million annually to the local economy.

The state's namesake submarine is making Hawai'i its home during the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of statehood. Gov. Lingle, the ship's "sponsor," will go out by boat to greet Hawai'i skipper Cmdr. Ed Herrington aboard the sub as it enters the channel.

The public can drive onto Ford Island starting at 8 a.m. to watch the submarine's arrival from the seaplane ramps.

After the pierside arrival ceremony, the Navy League of the United States Honolulu Council will host a reception for the families and crew of USS Hawai'i at Lockwood Hall.

The Navy League, which raised $180,000 for commissioning celebrations for the Hawai'i on the East Coast in 2007, is selling commemorative coins for the arrival and is donating $5,000 to Hawai'i's Morale, Welfare and Recreation fund, officials said.