USS Somerset:Last of 9-11 Tribute Ships Christened-memorial warship will transport U.S. Marines

The USS Somerset(LPD 25),the last of three amphibious transport dock ships named after sites affected by the 9-11 terrorist attacks,was christened on Saturday.Mrs.Mary Jo Myers,wife of General Richard B. Myers,U.S. Air Force retired,former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,performed the naval tradition of breaking a bottle of champagne against the new ship's bow at its official naming.Mrs.Myers' participation suggests the closeness of the Navy and Air Force in this era of the Air-Sea Battle Concept and joint basing.
The ceremony was held at  the Avondale shipyard near New Orleans,which is slated to close once the Somerset's final construction is completed.
Somerset County,Pennsylvania was where the passengers of Flight 93 stormed the cockpit in resistance to the terrorists,bringing the plane down in a field there.Twenty-three family members of those who perished in the Somerset County incident attended the christening.The ship includes steel from a crane bucket that was used to recover the Flight 93 wreckage in its bow stem,or leading edge.
The other 9-11 memorial ships are the USS New York(LPD 21) and the USS Arlington(LPD 24).These San Antonio class vessels are for transporting up to 800 U.S. Marines,their equipment and supplies to war zones,unstable regions and humanitarian disaster areas.They have well decks for landing craft and amphibious vehicles,as well as hangars and flight decks for a wide range of helicopters and the Marines' MV-22 Osprey vertical takeoff and landing aircraft.The ships are armed with 2 Mk31 Mod1 RAM launchers;2 Mk46 30mm guns;and 10 .50 caliber machine guns.
Huntington Ingalls Industries built the three memorial ships.Please visit the photo link below this post.
Huntington Ingalls Industries(HII)

9-11 Memorial Ship Christened

The USS Arlington(LPD 24)was christened on Saturday,24 March at Northrop Grumman Ingalls Operations in Pascagula,Mississippi.Sponsored by Mrs.Joyce Rumsfeld,wife of former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld,the Arlington is an amphibious transport dock ship,and was built in honor of the 184 people killed when American Airlines Flight 77 was crashed into the side of the Pentagon on 9-11.
Sporting an advanced composite mast that is as tough as steel but much lighter,the ship has the mission of transporting and sustaining U.S. Marines and their equipment.She can carry a mix of helicopters and vertical take-off and landing fixed wing aircraft,as well as various landing craft,in addition to up to 800 Marines and their gear.
The USS New York(LPD 21),another 9-11 memorial vessel,is in the same San Antonio class as the Arlington,and is now in commission,or fully in service.A total of 11 of these ships are planned.They defend themselves with missiles,30mm guns and .50 caliber machine guns.
In the christening ceremony,Mrs.Rumsfeld broke a bottle of champagne on the new ship.At a later date,a commissioning ceremony is held,when the ship begins its life in the fleet.
Northrop Grumman is spinning off its shipbuilding division to form a separate company,which is to be called Huntington Ingalls Industries,with the U.S. Navy's consent.
Northrop Grumman(NOC)

Marine Transports Being Replaced

The U.S. Navy's Austin class of amphibious transport dock ships,one of the U.S. Marine Corps' workhorses,is gradually being replaced by the San Antonio class.The Austin class can carry up to six helicopters,while the San Antonio class can accommodate a mix of helicopters and tilt-rotor aircraft,the MV-22 Osprey,which is being phased into operations after a stormy development stage.The Austin class only carries the CH-46E Sea Knight choppers,while the San Antonio can carry any of a number of helicopter types,in addition to the CH-46E,which has been the main Marine Corps assault helicopter since 1964.
The amphibious transport dock ships are considered secondary aviation platforms.Their main role is to carry Marines,their vehicles and supplies to the theater of operations,disembarking them there by air cushion or conventional landing craft,as well as amphibious assault vehicles.The San Antonio class can carry up to 800 Marines,while the Austin class embarks up to 900.The USS New York(LPD21) is the latest LPD to enter service,having been commissioned on Veterans Day,2009.Four more are under construction.

Secretary Clinton Attends Commissioning

Hillary Rodham Clinton,the 67th Secretary of State,was the keynote speaker on Saturday at the commissioning of the USS New York(LPD21)in New York City.She described the ceremony as being exciting and meaningful.We salute your service to our nation,she told the crew.There are many New Yorkers on board.Our thoughts and prayers will be with you.
The first New York fought on Lake Champlain in the Revolutionary War,Secretary Clinton recalled.Then the battleship New York won three battle stars in World War II,seeing action at Iwo Jima.Once again the USS New York is serving our country.She includes 7.5 tons of steel from Ground Zero,a rivet from the battleship New York and sand from Iwo Jima in her keel.None of us will ever forget the image of twisted girders and shattered beams at Ground Zero.Today the steel serves as memorials across America.The New York's motto is "Strength forged through sacrifice:never forget."
Sometimes we truly are stronger in the broken parts,Hillary Clinton reflected.The crew will join the fight against terrorism and violent extremism that threatens the freedom of peoples across the world.The strongest steel of New York has always been in the spines of its people.We wish you godspeed and we wish you blessings on this ship and on the nation it serves.God bless you all,Secretary Clinton concluded,wearing a black overcoat and white scarf,speaking in a strong and solemn tone.
The USS New York,an amphibious transport dock ship,will be homeported in Norfolk,Virginia.Northrop Grumman was the prime contractor.A native New Yorker,Commander Curt Jones,is her first commanding officer.

Intrepid Rededicated

The USS Intrepid(CV11) was rededicated on Tuesday,Veterans Day,following extensive repairs.The old aircraft carrier has been a floating museum in New York harbor since 1982.She saw service in both World War II and Vietnam.She was even pressed back into service on 9-11,when she was used as a landing pad for helicopters responding to the attack,President Bush noted at the rededication ceremony.Also among the thousands attending were General James T. Conway,Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps,wounded service members,veterans of the Intrepid,Navy,Marine and Coast Guard officers and enlisted,as well as Gold Star families who lost members in Operation Iraqi Freedom.Anchored alongside the Intrepid was the USS Bataan(LHD5),an amphibious assault ship homeported in Norfolk,Virginia.At next year's Veterans Day ceremony,the USS New York(LPD21),an amphibious transport dock,will be commissioned,said David Paterson,Governor of New York.

Ships Status Report

Aircraft carrier USS John F Kennedy(CV67) was decommissioned on 1 August,2007.She is being held for detention.Destroyer USS Kidd(DDG 100) was commissioned on 30 May,2007 in Pascagoula,Mississippi.She is homeported in San Diego.Amphibious warfare ship USS New York(LPD 21) is to be launched in December.As I reported earlier,she was commissioned in March in Avondale,Louisiana.

Memorial Ship Christened

The USS New York(LPD 21),a vessel forged in tragedy,was christened on 1 March in Avondale,Louisiana.The ship's bow stem,or front edge,contains 7.5 tons of steel from the World Trade Center rubble,and she stood up to Hurricane Katrina.An amphibious transport dock,the New York carries 699 Marines and their equipment,including the MV22 Osprey,a vertical take-off and landing aircraft.Her sister ship,the Arlington(LPD 24),is under construction,and evokes the 9-11 attack on the Pentagon in Arlington,Virginia,as well as Arlington National Cemetery.The USS New York's home port will be in Norfolk,Virginia.