Keel laying
![Driving the first or](/Images/godic/202501/22/H967962725.jpg")
![Laying of the keel of USCGC Mariposa (WLB-397) in 1943](/Images/godic/202501/22/Mariposa-Keel-laying2725.jpg")
![Keel laying ceremony for USS Freedom (LCS-1), 2005. Note the pre-fabricated module in the background.](/Images/godic/202501/22/USS_Freedom_keel_laying2725.jpg")
![Dignitaries at the keel laying ceremony for USS George H.W. Bush in 2003](/Images/godic/202501/22/US_Navy_030906-N-2383B-018_President_George_H.W._Bush_and_former_First_Lady_Barbara_Bush_seated_with_Adm._Vern_Clark_during_the_keel_laying_ceremony_for_George_H.W._Buch_CVN_772725.jpg")
Laying the keel, or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship.
Keel laying is one of the four specially-celebrated events in the life of a ship; the others are launching, commissioning, and decommissioning.