Keel Authentications

Major General Marcia M. Anderson (U.S. Army, Ret.)

This article originally appears courtesy of the City of Beloit, WI.

Lockheed Martin and Fincantieri Marinette Marine marked the beginning of construction on Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) 29, the future USS Beloit, with a ceremony in Marinette. As part of a ship-building tradition dating back centuries, a shipyard worker welded into the ship’s keel plate the initials of Major General Marcia M. Anderson (U.S. Army, Retired), USS Beloit ship sponsor and a Beloit, Wisconsin, native. This plate will be affixed to the ship and travel with Beloit throughout its commissioned life.

LCS 29 will be the 15th Freedom-variant LCS and will join a class of more than 30 ships. To date, four Freedom-variant LCS have deployed to support U.S. Navy presence and peacekeeping missions. In May, LCS 7 (USS Detroit) partnered with a U.S. Navy destroyer and Coast Guard teams to serve interdiction missions in the U.S. Southern Command Area of Responsibility.

“With two deployments so far this year, Freedom-variant LCS have proven that they are capable and can serve a unique role in the U.S. Navy’s fleet,” said Joe DePietro, vice president and general manager of Small Combatants and Ship Systems. “LCS’ speed, maneuverability and flexibility allows the ship to serve a multitude of missions by quickly integrating equipment and deploying manned and unmanned aerial, surface or sub-surface vehicles.”

In total, there are more than 500,000 nautical miles under the keel of Freedom-variant LCS. The ship delivers advanced capability in anti-submarine, surface, and mine countermeasure missions, and was designed to evolve with the changing security environment. As near-peer competition from large nation states increases, Lockheed Martin is partnering with the Navy to evolve LCS to meet these threats. Targeted upgrades are already underway with naval strike missiles being installed in support of upcoming deployments. Future installs of improved electronic warfare and decoy launching systems are under development.

LCS 29 is the first Navy ship to be named after Beloit, Wisconsin, and the ship’s sponsor has personal ties to Beloit. During a long career with the U.S. military, Major General Anderson became the first African American woman to obtain the rank of major general in the U. S. Army and U. S. Army Reserve. As a citizen-soldier, Anderson was employed for 28 years by the United States Courts, where she served as the Clerk of the Bankruptcy Court, Western District of Wisconsin, located in Madison, Wisconsin, until her retirement in late 2019.

“The construction of the Navy’s newest Littoral Combat Ship and naming it after the city of Beloit, with its rich and storied history of supporting our nation’s national security, is more than fitting,” said Major General Anderson. “When completed, the USS Beloit’s voyages will be part of the tradition of small cities and towns in America sharing our story around the world.”

Beloit is one of six LCS in various stages of construction and test at the Fincantieri Marinette Marine shipyard.

“We are proud to celebrate the future USS Beloit today,” said Jan Allman, CEO of Fincantieri Marinette Marine. “The Fincantieri Marinette Marine shipyard is honored to build this capable warship, named for another city from the wonderful state of Wisconsin. I think this is a true testament to the hard work and patriotism of Midwesterners, and we look forward to working with the City of Beloit as we continue building LCS 29 for our US Navy partner.”

The ship’s sponsor, Dianne Isakson, wife of U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson, authenticated the keel for the 14th Independence-variant littoral combat ship (LCS) during the ceremony.

The U.S. Navy held a keel-laying and authentication ceremony for the future USS Savannah (LCS 28) at Austal USA’s shipyard Mobile, Ala., on Sept. 20.

The ship’s sponsor, Dianne Isakson, wife of U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson, authenticated the keel for the 14th Independence-variant littoral combat ship (LCS) during the ceremony. 

“We are honored to lay the keel of what will one day be a magnificent combat ship that will defend our great country as our Sailors operate her around the globe,” said Capt. Mike Taylor, LCS program manager. 

While the keel laying traditionally represents the formal start of a ship’s construction, fabrication of the ship begins months in advance. Today, keel laying continues to symbolically recognize the joining of the ship’s components and the ceremonial beginning of the ship.

LCS is a fast, agile, focused-mission platform designed to operate in near-shore environments, while capable of open-ocean tasking and winning against 21st-century coastal threats such as submarines, mines and swarming small craft. They are capable of supporting forward presence, maritime security, sea control and deterrence.

There are currently four other Independence variant LCSs undergoing construction at Austal USA, with five additional ships in pre-production planning.

Original article appears courtesy of WLUK/Marinette, WI

A keel-laying ceremony is held at Marinette Marine in Wisconsin for the future USS Nantucket, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2019. (WLUK/Jessie Basinski)

A keel laying ceremony in Wisconsin marked the ceremonial start of construction of the next ship to carry the name Nantucket.

WLUK-TV reported that Lockheed Martin and Fincantieri Marinette Marine hosted the keel laying ceremony on Wednesday for LCS-27. The littoral combat ship will be the next USS Nantucket.

The ship’s sponsor and secretary of the Navy’s wife, Polly Spencer, authenticated the keel by welding onto the steel plate to be placed on the ship’s hull.

Marinette Marine was awarded the contract to build the future USS Nantucket two years ago.

The USS Nantucket will be the third commissioned U.S. Navy ship to honor the maritime history of the Massachusetts island, and the first in 150 years.

Gulf Island Shipyard held a keel laying ceremony on Oct. 30 for the future USNS Navajo (T-ATS 6), the lead ship of the Navy’s new class of Towing, Salvage, and Rescue vessels. The ceremony was held at the Houma Terrebonne Civic Center in Houma, Louisiana. (U.S. Navy Photo)

Original article appears courtesy of the Military Sealift Command

Gulf Island Shipyard hosted a keel laying ceremony on Oct. 30 for the future USNS Navajo (T-ATS 6), the lead ship of the Navy’s new class of Towing, Salvage, and Rescue vessels. The ceremony was held at the Houma Terrebonne Civic Center in Houma, Louisiana.

A keel laying is the ceremonial recognition of the start of a ship’s construction and the joining of the ship’s modular components. The keel serves as the symbolic backbone of the ship and is said to be “truly and fairly laid” with the etching of an honoree’s initials into the keel plate.

On hand to authenticate the keel were Jocelyn Billy, the ship’s sponsor; the Honorable Jonathan Nez, President of Navajo Nation; and the Honorable Seth Damon, the Speaker of the 24th Navajo Nation Council.

“We are honored to have so many members of Navajo Nation in attendance to celebrate this early milestone in the shipbuilding process,” said Mike Kosar, support ships, boats and craft program manager, Program Executive Office Ships. “These ships are critical to the operations of our fleet, and will soon sail with the resilience and determination of the Navajo people of which they honor.”

The Navajo-class will provide ocean-going tug, salvage, and rescue capabilities to support fleet operations. The current capabilities are provided by three T-ATF 166 and two T-ARS 50 class ships, which reach the end of their expected service lives starting in 2020.

Navajo-class ships will be capable of towing U.S. Navy ships and will have 6,000 square feet of deck space for embarked systems. The platform will be 263 feet long, have a beam of 59 feet, and can carry a load of 1,796 tons.
In addition to T-ATS 6, Gulf Island Shipyard is under contract for the detail design and construction of the future USNS Cherokee Nation (T-ATS 7) and USNS Saginaw Ojibwe Anishinabek (T-ATS 8).

As one of the Defense Department’s largest acquisition organizations, PEO Ships is responsible for executing the development and procurement of all destroyers, amphibious ships, sealift ships, support ships, boats, and craft.

Ship’s Sponsors (left to right) Catherine B. Reynolds and Ruby Lucas trace their initials onto a steel plate that will be welded inside the guided missile destroyer Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125). Looking on is Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant, who spoke at the ceremony. Photo by Derek Fountain/HII

Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Ingalls Shipbuilding division authenticated the keel of the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125) today. Lucas was the youngest Marine and the youngest service member in World War II to receive the Medal of Honor.

“We are honored to have with us today the sponsors of this great ship, including Ruby Lucas, widow of our ship’s namesake. It is Navy tradition to name destroyers after men and women who served their country with distinction and this ship is certainly no exception,” said Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Cuccias. “Jack Lucas was born at a unique point in history and destiny had plans for the youngest service member awarded the Medal of Honor in World War II.”  

DDG 125 is co-sponsored by Ruby Lucas, widow of the ship’s namesake and Catherine B. Reynolds, an entrepreneur and philanthropist who has enabled millions of Americans to attend the college of their choice through her foundation work.

“One of the best days of my life was the day I met Jack. I didn’t know a thing about him, but that day changed my life forever,” said Lucas. “God has always looked out for me and he has always looked after Jack. It has always been my wish that Jack would be remembered for all time. His personal history is without comparison. Now my wish for this ship is that Jack himself would move over it. May God bless this ship named Jack H. Lucas and may God bless America”

This is the first ship named to honor Jack H. Lucas, who, at the age of 14, forged his mother’s signature to join the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II. Lucas, then a private first class in the Marines, turned 17 just five days before the U.S. invasion of Iwo Jima and stowed away on USS Deuel (APA 160) to fight in the campaign. During a close firefight with Japanese forces, Lucas saved the lives of three fellow Marines when, after two enemy hand grenades were thrown into a U.S. trench, he placed himself on one grenade while simultaneously pulling the other under his body. One of the grenades did not explode; the other exploded but only injured Lucas.

DDG 125 is the fifth of five Arleigh Burke-class destroyers HII was awarded in June 2013 and the first Flight III ship. The five-ship contract, part of a multi-year procurement in the DDG 51 program, allows Ingalls to build ships more efficiently by buying bulk material and moving the skilled workforce from ship to ship.

“What makes this place what it is are the men and women you see with these hardhats on,” Mississippi Governor Phil Byant said as he addressed the crowd at today’s ceremony. “Brian I can tell you this, I say it all over the world, ‘We’ve got the best damn shipbuilders in the world.’ A ship like the Jack H. Lucas will keep this world of ours safe. Jack will be back where his spirit has always been, fighting for America.”

James Ellis, a structural welder at Ingalls, welded the two sponsors’ initials onto a steel plate, signifying the keel of DDG 125 as being “truly and fairly laid.” The plate will remain affixed to the ship throughout its lifetime.

Ingalls has delivered 31 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers to the Navy. The shipyard currently has four DDGs under construction, including Lenah H. Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG 123), which is set to be christened in early 2020.

Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are capable, multi-mission ships and can conduct a variety of operations, from peacetime presence and crisis management to sea control and power projection, all in support of the United States’ military strategy. The guided missile destroyers are capable of simultaneously fighting air, surface and subsurface battles. The ship contains myriad offensive and defensive weapons designed to support maritime defense needs well into the 21st century.

Marise Payne, minister for foreign affairs in Australia, welds her initials into the keel of the USS Canberra at Austal USA in Mobile, Alabama, Tuesday, March 10, 2020. Austal picture.

Original article appears courtesy of Naval News

The future USS Canberra will be the 30th Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) for the U.S. Navy, and the 15th Independence-class LCS built by Austal USA.

Marise Payne was appointed Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs on 28 August 2018. A Senator for NSW since 1997, she has more than two decades’ parliamentary experience including 12 years’ membership of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade. The Senator was appointed Minister for Defence in September 2015. She oversaw a major renewal of the Australian Defence Force’s capabilities and led the organisation’s increased international engagement program with allies and partners.

LCS is a fast, agile, focused-mission platform designed for operation in near-shore environments yet capable of open-ocean operation.  It is designed to defeat asymmetric “anti-access” threats such as mines, quiet diesel submarines and fast surface craft.  The Independence-variant LCS integrates new technology and capability to support current and future mission capability from deep water to the littorals. Five Littoral Combat Ships are currently under construction at Austal’s state-of-the-art module manufacturing shipyard in Mobile, Alabama.

Tribal leaders from the Cherokee Nation, U.S. Navy officials from Program Executive Office Ships and executives from Gulf Island Shipyards look on as the initials of the Principle Chief of the Cherokee Nation, The Honorable Chuck Hoskins, Jr. and the Deputy Speaker of the Cherokee Nation Tribal Council, The Honorable Victoria Mitchell Vazquez (ship sponsor) are cut into the keel of the future USNS Cherokee Nation (T-ATS 7) in a ceremony at the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center here. (Photo by Landon Hutchens II, U.S. Navy)

Original appears courtesy of U.S. Navy/NAVSEA

A keel laying ceremony was held Feb. 12 for the future USNS Cherokee Nation (T-ATS 7), the second ship of the Navy’s Navajo class of Towing, Salvage, and Rescue vessels. The ceremony was held near Gulf Island Shipyard at the Houma Terrebonne Civic Center. 

The keel laying ceremony formally marks the start of a ship’s life and the joining of the ship’s modular components. The keel serves as the symbolic backbone of the ship.

In attendance to authenticate the keel was Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, The Honorable Chuck Hoskin, Jr. and the ship’s sponsor and Deputy Speaker of the Cherokee Nation Tribal Council, The Honorable Victoria Mitchell Vazquez.

During the ceremony, the keel authenticators etched their initials into the keel plate and declared it to be “truly and fairly laid.”

“We are honored to have so many representatives of the Cherokee Nation in attendance to celebrate this early milestone,” said Mike Kosar, support ships, boats and craft program manager, Program Executive Office Ships. “The ship is critical to the operations of our fleet, and will soon sail with the pride and determination of the Cherokee people, which it is named to honor”

The Navajo-class will provide ocean-going tug, salvage, and rescue capabilities to support fleet operations. The current capabilities are provided by three T-ATF 166 and two T-ARS 50 class ships, several of which will reach the end of their expected service lives later this year.

Navajo-class ships will be capable of towing U.S. Navy ships and will have 6,000 square feet of deck space for embarked systems. The platform will be 263 feet long, have a beam of 59 feet, and can carry a load of nearly 2,000 tons.

In addition to the future USNS Cherokee Nation (T-ATS 7), Gulf Island Shipyard is constructing the future USNS Navajo (T-ATS 6) and is under contract for the detail design and construction of the future USNS Saginaw Ojibwe Anishinabek (T-ATS 8).

As one of the Defense Department’s largest acquisition organizations, PEO Ships is responsible for executing the development and procurement of all destroyers, amphibious ships, sealift ships, support ships, boats, and craft.

BATH, Maine (Jan. 10, 2020) Ship sponsor Ms. Ryan Manion welds her initials into a steel plate during a keel authentication ceremony for the future USS John Basilone (DDG 122). (Photo courtesy of General Dynamics Bath Iron Works)

Original article appears courtesy of U.S. Navy/NAVSEA

The keel of the future USS John Basilone (DDG 122) was ceremoniously laid at General Dynamics Bath Iron Works (BIW) shipyard Jan.10.

Speakers included Capt. Seth Miller, DDG 51 class program manager; Diane Hawkins, niece of the ship’s namesake; and the ship’s sponsors, Amy Looney and Ryan Manion. The ship’s sponsors authenticated the keel by etching their initials into the keel plate, a tradition that symbolically recognizes the joining of modular components and the ceremonial beginning of the ship.

“It’s an honor to celebrate this milestone with Ms. Looney, Ms. Manion, andmembers of the Basilone family,” Miller said. “Laying the keel for our nation’s 72nd Arleigh Burke destroyer, and building a ship named for a man who embodied the spirit of commitment and strength, this is a truly special occasion.”

The ship’s namesake was a United States Marine Corps gunnery sergeant who was killed in action during the Battle of Iwo Jima in WWII. Basilone received the Medal of Honor for heroism displayed in the Battle of Guadalcanal in 1942, and for conspicuous gallantry displayed in the Battle of Iwo Jima, after he singlehandedly destroyed an enemy blockhouse and led a Marine tank under fire safely through a minefield.

Arleigh Burke class destroyers are multi-mission surface combatants that serve as integral assets in global maritime security, engaging in air, undersea, surface, strike and ballistic missile defense, as well as providing increased capabilities in anti-submarine warfare, command and control, and anti-surface warfare.

As a Flight IIA Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, John Basilone will employ the Aegis Baseline 9 Combat System, which includes Integrated Air and Missile Defense capability, delivers quick reaction time, high firepower, and has increased electronic countermeasures capability for anti-air warfare.

In addition to John Basilone, BIW has four additional Arleigh Burke class destroyers under construction – Daniel Inouye (DDG 118), Carl M. Levin (DDG120), Harvey C. Barnum Jr. (DDG 124) and Patrick Gallagher (DDG 127), as well as the Zumwalt-class destroyer Lyndon B. Johnson (DDG 1002). BIW isunder contract for an additional six Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, which will all be built in the Flight III configuration with enhanced Airand Missile Defense capabilities.

As one of the Defense Department’s largest acquisition organizations, PEO Ships is responsible for executing the development and procurement of all destroyers, amphibious ships, special mission and support ships, boats and craft.

Rep. John Lewis (D Ga.) addresses attendees at the keel laying for his namesake ship, Military Sealift Command’s newest fleet replenishment oiler, USNS John Lewis during a ceremony at the General Dynamics NASSCO Shipyard in San Diego. Military Sealift Command photo.

Original article appears courtesy of USNI

The keel was laid for the future first-in-class fleet replenishment oiler John Lewis (T-AO-205) in a ceremony in San Diego this week.

General Dynamics National Steel and Shipbuilding Company (NASSCO) is building the new fleet of oilers for U.S. Navy ships and laid the keel on the first ship of the class on May 13, according to NASSCO.

During the ceremony at the NASSCO yard, U.S. Representative John Lewis (D-Ga.), the ship’s namesake, and Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actress Alfre Woodard, the ship’s sponsor, etched their initials into the keel plate.

“For the U.S. Navy and former Secretary Ray Mabus to see fit to honor me in this way is unreal and almost unimaginable,” Lewis said in a statement released by his office. “I only try to do what is fair, what is right, and what is just and get in what I call good trouble, necessary trouble. This class of ships pays tribute to the powerful contribution each and every participant in the struggle for civil rights and social justice has made to help build a true democracy in America.”

Consistent with Lewis’s commitment to non-violence, the statement from his office pointed out that the John Lewis class of ships are not combat vessels, but instead serve the vital role of replenishing fuel for ships at sea, serving as part of the Navy’s Combat Logistics Force operated by the Military Sealift Command. The John Lewis-class will also honor other civil rights figures including Harvey Milk, Earl Warren, Robert F. Kennedy, Lucy Stone and Sojourner Truth.

The new class of oiler has a displacement of 22,173 tons and is designed to carry 156,000 barrels of oil as well as dry cargo and aviation fuel. In June 2016, the Navy awarded NASSCO a $3.2-billion contract to build six John Lewis-class oilers. Ultimately, the Navy plans to buy 20 John Lewis-class ships over the course of three contract awards, according to the Military Sealift Command.

Before representing Atlanta in Congress, Lewis was a leader in the Civil Rights movement. In 1963, as chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, Lewis helped organize and spoke at the March on Washington in August 1963. On Sunday, March 7, 1965, Lewis was among the leaders of a peaceful march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala. Alabama state troopers attacked the marchers in an incident commonly referred to as “Bloody Sunday.” Images of the confrontation appearing in newspapers and on news broadcasts helped spur the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, according to Lewis’ bio.

“We’re honored to have Rep. Lewis and Ms. Woodard with us today as we lay the foundation for recapitalizing our nation’s critical fuel-replenishment-at-sea capabilities,” Mike Kosar, the program manager for support ships, boats and craft within the Program Executive Office for Ships, said during the ceremony, according to a NASSCO release.
“These ships are steadfast, reliable and allow our warships to defend our freedoms for which Representative Lewis has dedicated his life to protecting.”

190412-N-BR740-1054: Left, Shana McCool and Kate Oja, ship sponsors of the future USS Richard M. McCool Jr. (LPD 29), speak about their grandfather during the keel authentication ceremony for the ship at Huntington Ingalls Industries Pascagoula shipyard April 12. Then a Navy captain, McCool received the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions in rescuing survivors from a sinking destroyer and for saving his own landing support ship during an enemy attack while injured. (U.S. Navy photo by Samantha Crane/Released)

Original article appears courtesy of NAVSEA

The keel for the future USS Richard M. McCool, Jr. (LPD 29) was ceremoniously laid during a ceremony at Huntington Ingalls Industries Ingalls Shipbuilding Division, April 12.

Shana McCool and Kate Oja are the ship’s sponsors and granddaughters of the namesake, and authenticated the keel by etching their initials into the keel plate. This tradition symbolically recognizes the joining of modular components and is the ceremonial beginning of the ship. 

“We are honored to have Ms. McCool and Ms. Oja with us today to recognize this major ship event,” said Capt. Brian Metcalf, LPD 17 class program manager for Program Executive Office (PEO) Ships. “The San Antonio class has proven essential to expeditionary warfighters, and we are excited to bring the 13th and final ship of the Flight I configuration to the fleet.”

The ship is named in honor of Navy veteran and Medal of Honor recipient, Capt. Richard M. McCool, Jr. and is the Navy’s 13th San Antonio class amphibious transport dock ship. McCool was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1945 for the heroism he displayed after his ship was attacked by kamikaze aircraft in the Battle of Okinawa. Despite suffering from shrapnel wounds and painful burns, he led efforts to battle a blazing fire on his ship and rescue injured sailors. 

Fabrication on LPD 29 began on July 30, 2018, and is scheduled to deliver in 2023. Eleven San Antonio class ships have been delivered to date, the most recent being USS Portland (LPD 27), which was commissioned in 2018. LPD 28 and 29 will serve as transition ships to LPD 30, the first ship of the Flight II. LPD 17 Flight II ships will replace the Navy’s aging LSD 41/49 class ships. 

The LPD 17 San Antonio class amphibious transport dock ships are designed to transport and deploy combat and support elements of Marine Expeditionary Units and Brigades. The LPD 17 Flight I ships carry approximately 720 troops and can transport air cushion or amphibious assault vehicles. These ships support amphibious assault, special operations and expeditionary warfare missions through the 21st century.

As one of the Defense Department’s largest acquisition organizations, PEO Ships is responsible for executing the development and procurement of all destroyers, amphibious ships, special mission and support ships, and special warfare craft.