WASHINGTON (NNS) -- The Navy will christen the newest amphibious transport dock ship, Somerset, July 28, during a 10 a.m. CST ceremony at the Huntington Ingalls Industries shipyard in Avondale, La.
The ship is named in honor of the courageous passengers and crew of United Airlines Flight 93. Their actions prevented terrorist hijackers from reaching their destination only to have the airplane crash near Shanksville in Somerset County, Pa., Sept. 11, 2001.
Patrick White, president of the Families of Flight 93, will deliver the ceremony's principal address. Mary Jo Myers, the wife of Gen. Richard Myers, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is the ship's sponsor, and in accordance with Navy tradition, will break a bottle of champagne across the bow to formally christen the ship.
During the weeks following the Flight 93 crash, recovery personnel retrieved more than 95 percent of the airplane's wreckage from the crash site. An American flag was hoisted on the top of a power shovel or "dragline" on a hill dominating the area. The dragline had been used in coal stripping at one time, and the equipment with the flag became a symbol of the effort.
In the summer of 2008, steel from the dragline's bucket was melted down and cast into Somerset's bow stem. Somerset is the final of three ships named to honor heroes of the September 11 attacks, joining the USS New York and USS Arlington, respectively.
Designated LPD 25, Somerset is the ninth amphibious transport dock ship in the San Antonio class. These versatile ships incorporate both a flight deck to accommodate CH-46 helicopters and MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft, and a well deck that can launch and recover landing craft and amphibious vehicles. The San Antonio class' increased vehicle space and substantial cargo-carrying capacity make it a key element of 21st century Amphibious Ready Groups, Expeditionary Strike Groups, and Joint Task Forces.
Somerset will provide improved warfighting capabilities, including an advanced command-and-control suite, increased lift-capability in vehicle and cargo-carrying capacity and advanced ship-survivability features. The ship is capable of embarking a landing force of up to 800 Marines.
The future USS Somerset will be the fifth U.S. naval vessel to carry the name Somerset. The four previous ships of that name were a side-wheeled ferryboat (1862-1865), a motorboat (1918), a transport (1945), and a patrol escort (1944-1955).
The ship will be led by a crew of 360 officers, enlisted personnel and Marines. The 24,900-ton Somerset is being built at the Huntington Ingalls Industries shipyard in Avondale, La. The ship is 684 feet in length, has an overall beam of 105 feet, and a navigational draft of 23 feet. Four turbo-charged diesels power the ship to sustained speeds of 22 knots.
Showing posts with label USS Somerset (LPD-25). Show all posts
Showing posts with label USS Somerset (LPD-25). Show all posts
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Future USS Somerset Launched
AVONDALE, La. (NNS) -- The future USS Somerset (LPD 25) launched April 14 from Huntington Ingalls Industries' (HII) Avondale Shipyard, marking a key milestone in the ship's construction process.
LPD 25 is the ninth ship of the San Antonio class, and is named in honor of the courage of the passengers of United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed near Shanksville in Somerset County, Pa., on 9/11.
Over the weeks following the Flight 93 crash, recovery personnel retrieved more than 95 percent of the airplane's wreckage from the crash site. An American flag was hoisted on the top of a power shovel or "dragline" on a hill dominating the area. The dragline had been used in coal stripping at one time, and the equipment with the flag became a symbol of the effort.
In the summer of 2008, steel from the dragline's bucket was melted down and cast into LPD 25's bow stem. Somerset is the final of three ships named to honor heroes of the September 11th attacks, joining the USS New York (LPD 21) and USS Arlington (LPD 24), respectively. LPD 25 is the fifth U.S. Navy ship named Somerset.
"As the ninth ship of the San Antonio class, LPD 25's launch represents an important success for the entire program," said Jay Stefany, LPD 17 program manager for the Navy's Program Executive Office (PEO) Ships. "The Navy and the shipbuilder have incorporated many lessons learned and driven efficiencies into the production, resulting in the most complete ship at launch to date for the LPD 17 class. I look forward to HII delivering this critical capability to the Navy."
These versatile ships incorporate both a flight deck to accommodate CH-46 helicopters and MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft, and a well deck that can launch and recover landing craft and amphibious vehicles. The San Antonio class' increased vehicle space and substantial cargo carrying capacity make it a key element of twenty-first century Amphibious Ready Groups, Expeditionary Strike Groups, and Joint Task Forces.
In addition to performing their primary mission, Somerset's sister ships have supported anti-piracy operations and provided humanitarian assistance and foreign disaster relief operations in Haiti after the earthquake.
Six ships from the San Antonio class have been delivered to the Navy, including USS San Antonio (LPD 17), USS New Orleans (LPD 18), USS Mesa Verde (LPD 19), USS Green Bay (LPD 20), USS New York (LPD 21) and USS San Diego (LPD 22). LPD 22 recently transited from the shipyard to the homeport in San Diego. The commissioning ceremony for San Diego is scheduled for May 19, in San Diego. Early construction activities are underway for LPD 26 in Pascagoula, Miss., and material for LPD 27 is on order.
As one of the Defense Department's largest acquisition organizations, PEO Ships, a Naval Sea Systems Command affiliated PEO, is responsible for executing the development and procurement of all major surface combatants, amphibious ships, special mission ships, support ships, and special warfare craft. Currently, the majority of shipbuilding programs managed by PEO Ships are benefiting from serial production efficiencies, which are critical to delivering ships on cost and schedule.
LPD 25 is the ninth ship of the San Antonio class, and is named in honor of the courage of the passengers of United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed near Shanksville in Somerset County, Pa., on 9/11.
Over the weeks following the Flight 93 crash, recovery personnel retrieved more than 95 percent of the airplane's wreckage from the crash site. An American flag was hoisted on the top of a power shovel or "dragline" on a hill dominating the area. The dragline had been used in coal stripping at one time, and the equipment with the flag became a symbol of the effort.
In the summer of 2008, steel from the dragline's bucket was melted down and cast into LPD 25's bow stem. Somerset is the final of three ships named to honor heroes of the September 11th attacks, joining the USS New York (LPD 21) and USS Arlington (LPD 24), respectively. LPD 25 is the fifth U.S. Navy ship named Somerset.
"As the ninth ship of the San Antonio class, LPD 25's launch represents an important success for the entire program," said Jay Stefany, LPD 17 program manager for the Navy's Program Executive Office (PEO) Ships. "The Navy and the shipbuilder have incorporated many lessons learned and driven efficiencies into the production, resulting in the most complete ship at launch to date for the LPD 17 class. I look forward to HII delivering this critical capability to the Navy."
These versatile ships incorporate both a flight deck to accommodate CH-46 helicopters and MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft, and a well deck that can launch and recover landing craft and amphibious vehicles. The San Antonio class' increased vehicle space and substantial cargo carrying capacity make it a key element of twenty-first century Amphibious Ready Groups, Expeditionary Strike Groups, and Joint Task Forces.
In addition to performing their primary mission, Somerset's sister ships have supported anti-piracy operations and provided humanitarian assistance and foreign disaster relief operations in Haiti after the earthquake.
Six ships from the San Antonio class have been delivered to the Navy, including USS San Antonio (LPD 17), USS New Orleans (LPD 18), USS Mesa Verde (LPD 19), USS Green Bay (LPD 20), USS New York (LPD 21) and USS San Diego (LPD 22). LPD 22 recently transited from the shipyard to the homeport in San Diego. The commissioning ceremony for San Diego is scheduled for May 19, in San Diego. Early construction activities are underway for LPD 26 in Pascagoula, Miss., and material for LPD 27 is on order.
As one of the Defense Department's largest acquisition organizations, PEO Ships, a Naval Sea Systems Command affiliated PEO, is responsible for executing the development and procurement of all major surface combatants, amphibious ships, special mission ships, support ships, and special warfare craft. Currently, the majority of shipbuilding programs managed by PEO Ships are benefiting from serial production efficiencies, which are critical to delivering ships on cost and schedule.
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