Christenings

MARINETTE, Wisc. (Dec. 15, 2018) Ship’s sponsor Barbara Taylor christens the future littoral combat ship USS St. Louis (LCS-19) in Marinette, Wisconsin, Dec. 15, 2018. Once commissioned, LCS-19 will be the seventh ship to bear the name St. Louis. (U.S. Navy photo courtesy of Lockheed Martin/Released)

(Article originally appears courtesy of Lockheed Martin)

The Lockheed Martin-led shipbuilding team launched Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) 19, the future USS St. Louis into the Menominee River at the Fincantieri Marinette Marine Shipyard. Ship sponsor Barbara Broadhurst Taylor, the daughter of a decorated World War II aviator, christened LCS 19 just prior to launch.

“LCS 19 is the second ship we’ve christened and launched this year. Our shipbuilding team has truly hit its stride. We completed trials on three ships and delivered two more. Once delivered to the Navy, LCS 19 will be on its way to independently completing targeted missions around the world,” said Joe DePietro, Lockheed Martin vice president and general manager of Small Combatants and Ship Systems. “We remain focused on delivering these affordable ships to the fleet as quickly as possible and increasing capability with each hull.”

The Freedom-variant LCS integrates new technology and capability to affordably support current and future missions from deep water to the littorals. LCS is a highly maneuverable, lethal and adaptable ship, designed to support focused mine countermeasures, anti-submarine warfare and surface warfare missions. LCS 19 is targeted to support the mine countermeasures mission.

Lockheed Martin is in full-rate production and has delivered seven ships to the U.S. Navy. There are seven ships in various stages of production and test at Fincantieri Marinette Marine. This year, the Lockheed Martin-led team began construction on two ships, delivered two ships, completed sea trials for three ships and saw one delivered ship commissioned. LCS 13, the future USS Wichita, is slated for commissioning in Mayport, Florida, on Jan. 12.

“I am thrilled and very honored to be the sponsor of the future USS St. Louis. The combination of my family’s military background and the enduring spirit of the great city of St. Louis make this incredibly meaningful,” Taylor said. “This is the seventh ship to bear the name St. Louis, and I know that the people of our great city are extremely proud that this distinguished legacy will continue.”

“We are proud to be building LCS 19 and her sister ships at the heartland’s only naval shipyard,” said Jan Allman, Fincantieri Marinette Marine president and CEO. “Today’s launch and christening is a testament to the hard work of more than 2,000 workers who pass through the shipyard’s gates, put on their hard hats and build American warships.”

(Article originally appears courtesy of the Dover Post)

Jill Biden, second lady of the U.S. 2009-17, Sen. Tom Carper and Gov. John Carney celebrated the christening of the USS Delaware on Oct. 22. (Maritime Executive)

The USS Delaware is the first Navy ship to be named for Delaware since 1923 and the seventh vessel to bear its name overall.

At the Newport News Shipyard in Newport News, Virginia, Biden, Carper and Carney highlighted Delaware’s naval history dating back to the Revolutionary War, when the Delaware Bay served as the staging ground for the Continental Navy’s first marine mission in 1776. Biden, Carper and Carney also welcomed a submarine to Delaware’s military family, thanked those who would sail it and honored those who have served and protected the country throughout its history, especially Delaware veterans.

“One of my life’s greatest honors is being part of the USS Delaware family and your shipmate for life. But I simply represent the people of Delaware who take great pride in this submarine and will stand by its crew and their families,” said Biden, sponsor of the USS Delaware.

“Our Constitution — first ratified by Delaware — is the most enduring and replicated constitution in the history of the world. But as revered as our Constitution is by all of us, it would just be words to serve their country in uniform on a piece of paper without the courage and commitment of one generation of Americans after another who have been willing to step forward to serve their country in uniform, to risk their lives, and, in many cases, lay down their lives so that we might know the liberties that we enjoy today,” said Carper, the keynote speaker. “With the christening of the USS Delaware, we honor them all as a new generation of American sailors prepares to take this state of the art submarine through its sea trial and eventually to seas throughout the world over the next half-century, protecting our democracy and helping to preserve our planet.”

“This is a proud day for Delaware,” said Carney. “To Cmdr. Brian Hogan and the 135 officers and crew members who will serve aboard the USS Delaware, we thank you for your service to our great country and our national defense. It is a great honor for all Delawareans to be associated with this submarine, its commander and its entire crew.”

In 2012, a letter to the editor published in The News Journal, submitted by Delawarean Steven Llanso, prompted Sens. Carper and Chris Coons and then-Congressman Carney to send a letter to Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus encouraging him to consider naming a submarine after Delaware. Later that same year, the Delaware congressional delegation welcomed the announcement of the naming of the Naval submarine, the USS Delaware. Biden, Carper and Carney participated in the keel-laying ceremony — the formal recognition of the start of a ship’s construction — in April 2016.

The USS Delaware was built by Newport News Shipbuilding, a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries and General Dynamics Electric Boat. Nearly 4,000 shipbuilders supported the construction of the USS Delaware, and the ship will have about 135 officers and crew onboard. The USS Delaware will be commanded by Hogan. The ship’s motto is “First Defenders of Liberty.”

The USS Delaware is the 18th boat of the Virginia-class. Virginia-class submarines are capable of submerged speeds in excess of 25 knots and are able to stay submerged for up to three months at a time. Virginia-class submarines are armed with Tomahawk cruise missiles, MK-48 torpedoes, advanced mobile mines and an unmanned undersea vehicle.

Biden, Carper and Carney were joined on stage at the christening ceremony by Jennifer Boykin, president, Newport News Shipbuilding; Kurt Hesch, chief operating officer, General Dynamics Electric Boat; Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Virginia,; VADM Richard Snyder, Naval inspector general; James Geurts, assistant secretary of the Navy; RADM John W. Tammen, director, Undersea Warfare Division; Capt. Jason Lloyd, commanding officer and supervisor of shipbuilding, Newport News Shipbuilding; Hogan, commanding officer, USS Delaware; and Leslie Hogan, matron of honor, USS Delaware.

While the ceremony in Newport News was closed to the public, Delawareans were able to take part in the festivities at three watch parties around the state sponsored by Carper. Watch parties were held at Wilmington University in Dover, Delaware Technical Community College’s Stanton Campus in Newark and Delaware Technical Community College’s Owens Campus in Georgetown.

(Article appears courtesy of Naval Submarine Support Center, New London)

181020-N-LW591-159 Groton, Conn. (Oct. 20, 2018) Ship sponsor Gloria Valdez, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research, Development and Acquisitions), breaks a bottle of wine produced by a Vermont vineyard to christen the Virginia-class, fast-attack submarine Pre-Commissioning Unit (PCU) Vermont (SSN 792), during a ceremony at Electric Boat in Groton, Connecticut. PCU Vermont is the third U.S. Navy vessel to be named in honor of the state of Vermont and the 19th Virginia-class, fast-attack submarine. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Steven Hoskins/Released)

Gloria Valdez, ship sponsor and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition, smashed a bottle of champagne from a Vermont vineyard against the Navy’s newest fast-attack submarine, Saturday, Oct. 20, christening it the Vermont as the vessel prepares to join the fleet. 

Commander, Submarine Forces, Vice. Adm. Charles “Chas” Richard, thanked both the shipbuilders and crew of Vermont for working to make the Virginia-class submarine the greatest submarine in the world. He also noted the level of responsibility Cmdr. Henry Roenke had been tasked with in bringing the crew together in pursuit of “Freedom and Unity” and the excellent choice that had been made in naming Ms. Valdez as ship’s sponsor. 

“Vermont will safely operate in harm’s way in the most challenging environments on Earth because the best shipbuilders on Earth built her,” said Richard.

Constructing what will possibly be the most advanced and technologically complex weapons system ever put to sea is a major undertaking spanning more than five years. 

“However, this fantastic ship is nothing without this crew – and shipmates, we need you,” said Richard. “Combatant Commanders are constantly asking for more submarines, because there are extremely important missions to do; many of which only you can do.”

Fast-attack submarines like Vermont are multi-mission platforms enabling five of the six Navy maritime strategy core capabilities – sea control, power projection, forward presence, maritime security, and deterrence. The submarine is designed to excel in anti-submarine warfare; anti-ship warfare; strike warfare; special operations; intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; irregular warfare; and mine warfare – from open ocean anti-submarine warfare to intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, to projecting power ashore with Special Operation Forces and Tomahawk cruise missiles in the prevention or preparation of regional crises.

“It is the Navy’s responsibility to prevent challengers from using the sea to threaten the United States,” said Richard. “And the Submarine Force’s share of this responsibility continues to grow as threats designed to deny us the oceans proliferate. But you can get in, on scene unseen, and gain access otherwise denied to the greater Joint force. Congratulations team on being part of this tremendous challenge.”

Vermont will be the 19th Virginia-Class, nuclear-powered, fast-attack submarine, but is the first Block IV of ten to be built under the $17.6 billion contract. The submarines are being built in a partnership between Electric Boat and Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia. Construction of Vermont began in April 2014. 

Vermont is 377 feet long with a beam of 34 feet. Virginia-class fast attack submarines have a crew of approximately 132 made up of 15 officers and 117 enlisted Sailors.

Ship Sponsors Alicia J. Petersen (left) and D’Arcy Neller (right) christen DDG 121, the destroyer named for Petersen’s late husband, Frank E. Petersen Jr. Also pictured (left to right) are retired Gen. Alfred Gray, former commandant of the Marine Corps and keynote speaker at the christening; Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Cuccias; and Gen. Robert Neller, the 37th commandant of the Marine Corps. (Photo by Derek Fountain/HII)

(Article originally appears courtesy of Marine Link)

U.S. shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division christened the guided missile destroyer Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG 121), the 71st in the U.S. Navy’s Arleigh Burke (DDG 51) class of destroyers and the 33rd built by Ingalls.

DDG 121 honors Frank Emmanuel Petersen Jr., who was the Marine Corps’ first African-American aviator and the service’s first African-American general. After entering the Naval Aviation Cadet Program in 1950, Petersen would go on to fly more than 350 combat missions throughout the Korean and Vietnam wars.

Approximately 900 guests attended the ceremony, including Alfred Gray, a retired general and former commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, who was the keynote speaker. “We’re here to honor a great American, a great ship and a great shipyard as well,” Gray said. “Frank is the person who really gave all of the people that you’ve met here today their inspiration to go forward, to be tough about everything, to be disciplined and to never forget that above all, you’re a Marine warrior. It is that kind of spirit and that kind of belief that we honor today by naming this great ship Frank E. Petersen Jr.”

“We are here to christen this ship to the life and service of a true pioneer in the Navy and Marine Corps, Frank Petersen,” said Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Robert Neller. “The USS Petersen is now a reality, and it is a ship that will be in service to our nation for decades to come. DDGs play a vital role, not only in the Navy and defense of the United States, but for our allies around the world. To the shipbuilders, we really appreciate your efforts, skill, professionalism and hard work in building this ship. Thank you so much for that.”

DDG 121 is co-sponsored by Alicia Petersen, widow of the ship’s namesake, and D’Arcy Neller, wife of Gen. Neller. Together, Petersen and Neller officially christened the ship by breaking two bottles of sparkling wine across its bow.

Petersen spoke on behalf of both sponsors at the ceremony: “Our family has been in Pascagoula for about two days now, and the love and friendship that we have felt from everyone has been so contagious,” she said. “We believe that you are our family now and feel so happy that Frank’s ship is here in your home being built under the wonderful leadership of Ingalls. Ingalls not only does great work, but they take great pride in its ownership.”

Over the course of 30 years, Ingalls has built and delivered 30 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers. The shipyard currently has five DDGs under construction, including Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125), the first Flight III ship, which started fabrication in May. Ingalls was recently awarded a $5.1 billion multi-year procurement contract to build six more destroyers.

“All Ingalls ships are built for men and women like General Petersen with one goal in mind: to protect the brave Americans who defend our freedom, and Frank E. Petersen Jr., the ship, will be no exception,” said Ingalls Shipbuilding President, Brian Cuccias. “Today, alongside our Navy partners and the leadership of the great State of Mississippi, we are investing hundreds of millions of dollars in modernizing our facilities. Combine that with a hot production line and our talented and experienced shipbuilders, and we are uniquely positioned to provide our country with the highest quality, most capable destroyers in the world. Simply stated, Ingalls builds the finest warships the world has ever known—right here in Pascagoula, Mississippi.”

Tracy Davidson christens USS Kansas City (LCS 20) (Photo by Austal USA)

(Article originally appears courtesy of Austal USA)

MOBILE, Ala. – Austal USA proudly hosted the christening of the nation’s 22^nd Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), the future USS Kansas City, at its state-of-the-art ship manufacturing facility today.  Kansas City is the eleventh of 17 Independence-variant LCS Austal USA has under contract with the U.S. Navy.

“Today marks a significant milestone with the christening of this amazing warship,” said Austal USA President Craig Perciavalle. “Our talented shipbuilding team is proud to provide our Navy with an extraordinarily capable vessel that will honor Kansas City as she becomes an integral part of the U.S. naval fleet protecting our nation.”

The ship’s sponsor, Mrs. Tracy Davidson, wife of Admiral Philip S. Davidson, USN, Commander, United States Indo-Pacific Command, headlined the group of officials, naval guests, civic leaders, community members, and Austal USA employees who attended the ceremony beneath the hull of the ship in Austal USA’s final assembly bay.

“We are honored to host Mrs. Davidson as the ship’s sponsor,” continued Perciavalle. “No one other than an Admiral’s wife, especially one so active in the Navy community, would be better suited for this important role to the ship and her crew.”

A native of Missouri with a degree from Southern Methodist University, Tracy is currently living in their 22nd house since marrying Admiral Davidson.  She is an active Navy spouse who has volunteered with family readiness groups, been an Ombudsman, served on support group boards, and mentored the Command Leadership Class. Her recent positions include: the Advisor to the Tidewater Officer Spouses Association (TOSA), Tidewater Collection, Surface Officers Spouses (SOS), and Continuum of Resource Education (CORE), four military support organizations in Norfolk.

The Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ship is a high-speed, agile, shallow draft, focused-mission surface combatant designed to conduct Surface Warfare, Anti-Submarine Warfare, and Mine Countermeasures missions in the littoral region.  With its open architecture design, the LCS can support modular weapons, sensor systems and a variety of manned and unmanned vehicles to capture and sustain littoral maritime supremacy.

Austal delivered Charleston (LCS 18) in the end of August, the third Independence-variant LCS delivered to the Navy this year.  In addition to the future USS Kansas City, four more Independence-variant LCS are currently under construction, including Cincinnati (LCS 20), Oakland (LCS 24), Mobile (LCS 26) and Savannah (LCS 28) with construction on Canberra (LCS 30) scheduled to begin in early 2019.  The future LCS 32 and 34 were awarded on September 18, 2018, and will begin pre-production activities.

The ship’s sponsor, Penny Pritzker — 38th U.S. Secretary of Commerce, christened the new ship. (Austal USA photo)

(Article originally appeared courtesy UPI)

The U.S. Navy’s newest littoral combat ship was christened over the weekend in a ceremony in Mobile, Ala.

The USS Cincinnati, an Independence-class littoral combat ship, becomes the 11th ship built by Austal USA as part of the LCS program.

Cincinnati councilman and former member of the U.S. Congress, David Mann, spoke at the christening, and former Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker served as the ship’s sponsor. Pritzker broke a bottle of sparkling wine across the bow in keeping with time-honored Navy traditions.

“The future USS Cincinnati is a symbol of the strong connection between the people of Cincinnati and the Navy and Marine Corps team,” Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer said in a press release.

“The ship serves as a testament to our commitment to growing the Fleet and our partnership with industry and the American public,” said Spencer.

The Independence-variant littoral combat ship is a high-speed, shallow draft, surface warfare ship designed to conduct anti-submarine warfare and mine countermeasure missions.

The U.S. Navy has contracted Austal USA to build 15 littoral combat ship worth a combined cumulative value of more than $4.5 billion.

Ship sponsor Jill Donnelly breaks a bottle of champagne across the bow during the christening ceremony for the nation’s 17th Littoral Combat Ship, the future USS Indianapolis, at the Fincantieri Marinette Marine shipyard on April 14. (PRNewsfoto/Lockheed Martin)

(Article appears courtesy Lockheed Martin/PRNewsWire)

The Lockheed Martin-led industry team hosted the christening ceremony for the 17th Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) at the Fincantieri Marinette Marine shipyard today.

Ship sponsor Jill Donnelly christened LCS 17, the future USS Indianapolis, in Navy tradition by breaking a champagne bottle across the ship’s bow.

“As a native Hoosier and the daughter of two World War II veterans, there is no greater honor than to serve as the sponsor of the future USS Indianapolis,” Donnelly said. “This ship pays tribute to the legacy of brave and resilient sailors, and I know the people of Indianapolis – and all Hoosiers – will support this ship and her future crews for decades to come.”

The future USS Indianapolis is named in honor of the incredibly brave men and women in uniform who have served our country for generations and who continue to serve today. LCS 17 will be the fourth U.S. Navy ship to bear the Indianapolis name. She will undergo additional outfitting and testing at Fincantieri Marinette Marine before her anticipated delivery next year.

“The Freedom-variant LCS is flexible and capable, and plays a critical role in the U.S. Navy’s fleet,” said Joe DePietro, vice president, Small Combatants and Ship Systems at Lockheed Martin. “With an active production and testing, we are committed to delivering Indianapolis and her highly capable sister ships into combatant commanders’ hands quickly.”

The Lockheed Martin-led industry team is currently in full-rate production of the Freedom-variant of the LCS, and has delivered five ships to the U.S. Navy to date. The future USS Indianapolis is one of eight ships in various stages of construction at Fincantieri Marinette Marine, with one more in long-lead production.

The Lockheed Martin-led LCS team is comprised of shipbuilder Fincantieri Marinette Marine, naval architect Gibbs & Cox, and more than 800 suppliers in 42 states. The LCS is the Navy’s most affordable surface combatant shipbuilding program.

The Freedom-variant’s steel monohull design is based on a proven, resilient design recognized for its stability and reliability.

---

USS Indianapolis Launch

https://youtu.be/e0vBpsRvlM4

USS South Dakota Sponsor Deanie Dempsey authenticates the keel of the nuclear submarine at a ceremony held April 4, 2016 at Electric Boat’s Quonset Point, R.I., facility. (General Dynamics Electric Boat)

(This article originally appeared courtesy of the Hartford Courant)

The USS South Dakota, the ninth Virginia-class submarine built by General Dynamics Electric Boat for the U.S. Navy, was unveiled and christened in Groton on Saturday.

The nuclear attack submarine, which will be home to a crew of about 130 people, was built in the early stages of a massive ramping-up for Electric Boat, which operates a shipyard in Groton and a design and engineering facility in New London.

U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, one of several Connecticut officials who participated in Saturday’s christening, called it a “renaissance area of growth and innovation” for the town, which is sometimes referred to as the Submarine Capital of the World.

“As those of us in Connecticut know, this shipyard looks dramatically different today than nine years ago, when South Dakota was first authorized by Congress,” he said, At that time, Electric Boat’s facilities in Groton and Quonset Point, R.I., were producing just one submarine a year, he said.

Since then, Electric Boat’s workforce has grown from fewer than 10,000 people to 16,000 — about 2,000 of whom have been hired since Jan. 1. The company also is planning to upgrade and modernize its Groton and Rhode Island shipyards and hire another 2,000 people in the coming years to help develop the next generation of nuclear submarines, Electric Boat President Jeff Geiger said Saturday.

“All I can say to [sub Cmdr. Ron Withrow] and the crew, ‘You brought us good fortune over the last nine years and hopefully it will stay with us long after you go to sea,’ ” Courtney said.

Six more Virginia-class ships are under construction by Electric Boat as part of a contract for 28 ships, shared with construction partner Newport News Shipbuilding. The South Dakota was the 17th Virginia-class ship to be completed.

Electric Boat is also beginning to prepare for its next Navy contract, a $5.1 billion award to design and build the lead submarine in the new Columbia class, a ship that will be nearly three times bigger than the South Dakota, which can displace about 7,700 tons of water.

Once commissioned, the Columbia fleet will carry about 70 percent of the nation’s nuclear arsenal, according to Electric Boat.

To prepare for the future workload, Electric Boat also revitalized its apprenticeship programs and doubled its investment in employee training and development, Geiger said.

“We are excited by this opportunity and committed to meeting the expectations of the Navy,” he said.

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal said he was grateful for the chance to celebrate the current workforce. He called the completion of South Dakota, which took four years to build, an example of Electric Boat’s hard work, excellence and integrity.

“Submarines have never been more important to our national defense for their stealth, strength, survivability and reversibility,” he said. “The technological wonder that submarines are today are unexcelled by any world power and they give us strength that is unmatched in the world today for projecting power.”

---

Watch the Christening Ceremony:

https://vimeo.com/238696008

Marcelle Leahy Christens the USNS Burlington (YouTube)

(This article originally appeared courtesy WKRG News)

Marcelle Leahy breaks a bottle over the newest ship named for the largest city in Vermont.  She’s the ship’s sponsor and the wife of longtime Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy.  Senator Leahy says he’s proud of the new ship.

“We spend a lot on our military and we want them prepared for the threats of today not from yesterday and this gives us a lot of flexibility it can also be a vessel in rescue operations,” said Senator Leahy.  Austal is contracted to build at least two more EPFs.  Friday President Trump also had a special announcement for Austal in Mobile.  Friday Trump announced the name of the latest LCS.  The USS Canberra, which will eventually be built in Mobile, is named after Australia’s capital city.

PASCAGOULA, Miss. (Nov. 4, 2017) Ship’s Sponsor Ima J. Black christens DDG 119, the destroyer named for her late husband, Delbert D. Black, the first Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy. Also pictured, left to right, are Rep. Gregg Harper, R-Miss.; Lt. Cmdr. Mark Gallagher, prospective executive officer, DDG 119; Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Steven S. Giordano; Marilyn Kendall, matron of honor; and Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Cuccias. (U.S. Navy photo courtesy Huntington Ingals Industries by Andrew Young/Released)

Originally published in MAREX, 4 November 2017.

The U.S. Navy christened its newest guided-missile destroyer the future USS Delbert D. Black (DDG 119) on Saturday Huntington Ingalls Industries Shipbuilding.

The future USS Delbert D. Black is the first ship to bear the name of a Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON) and is named for the first person to hold that office. Black began his 30-year Navy career in the spring of 1941. After completing recruit training, he reported to his first assignment USS Maryland (BB 46) in Pearl Harbor where he witnessed the Japanese attack that drew the United States into World War II. Over the next 26 years, he rose through the ranks to Gunner’s Mate Master Chief before his selection in 1967 to serve as the first MCPON. The MCPON is the senior enlisted leader in the Navy and serves as an advisor to the CNO and to the Chief of Naval Personnel in matters dealing with enlisted Sailors and their families.

Mrs. Ima Black, MCPON Black’s widow and a World War II Navy veteran herself, broke a bottle of sparkling wine across the bow to formally christen the ship.

Delbert D. Black will be the 69th Arleigh Burke-class destroyer and is currently the fifth of 13 ships currently under contract for the DDG 51 program. The ship will be configured as a Flight IIA destroyer, which enables power projection, forward presence and escort operations at sea in support of Low Intensity Conflict/Coastal and Littoral Offshore Warfare, as well as open ocean conflict.

Delbert D. Black will be equipped with the Navy’s Aegis Combat System, the world’s foremost integrated naval weapon. The ship will also incorporate Cooperative Engagement Capability that when combined with the Aegis Combat System will permit groups of ships and aircraft to link radars to provide a composite picture of the battle space effectively increasing the theater space. The capability is designed to provide the Navy with a 21st century fighting edge.

The nearly 9,500-ton Delbert D. Black is 509.5 feet in length, has a waterline beam of 59 feet and has a navigational draft of 31 feet. Four gas turbine engines will power the ship to speeds in excess of 30 knots.