Keel Authentications

Keel Laying Ceremony 8/9/18 (Austal USA)

Original article appears courtesy of the Military Sealift Command

A ceremony celebrating the keel authentication of the Navy’s eleventh Spearhead-class Expeditionary Fast Transport ship, the future USNS Puerto Rico (EPF 11), was held at Mobile, Alabama, shipyard of Austal USA, the ship’s manufacturer. Puerto Rico will be the third ship in naval service named after the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, honoring its historically strong ties to the military.

A keel laying is the formal recognition of the start of a ship’s construction, as the keel is the symbolic backbone of a ship. The keel was said to be “truly and fairly laid” as it was authenticated by the ship’s sponsor, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, by welding her initials into the keel plate.
“We are honored that Justice Sotomayor is able to participate as the ship sponsor in this major production milestone,” said Capt. Scot Searles, Strategic and Theater Sealift program manager, Program Executive Office Ships.“Our industry and Navy teams are committed to delivering this highly capable platform and today’s milestone marks our progress towards delivering operational flexibilities to the Navy force.”

Expeditionary Fast Transport ships are versatile vessels designed to operate in shallow-draft ports and waterways, increasing operational flexibility for a wide range of activities including maneuver and sustainment, relief operations in small or damaged ports, flexible logistics support or as the key enabler for rapid transport.

They are capable of interfacing with roll-on/roll-off discharge facilities, as well as on/off-loading vehicles such as a fully combat-loaded Abrams Main Battle Tank. Each vessel includes a flight deck to support day and night aircraft launch and recovery operations. The EPF class ships will have airline-style seating for 312 embarked forces with fixed berthing for 104.

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

(Austal USA)

Original article appears courtesy of Defpost

Austal USA has laid the keel for the U.S. Navy’s Independence variant littoral combat ship, the future USS Oakland (LCS 24), during a ceremony at its shipyard in Mobile, Alabama on July 20.

Ship’s sponsor Kate Brandt ceremoniously laid the keel for the twelfth Independence variant ship of the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program, during the ceremony. She will be the third Navy ship to bear the name of Oakland, California.

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

In the coming months, Austal will pull one million feet of cable, install 550,000 square feet of insulation, weld 75,000 feet of pipe and shape 850 metric tons of aluminum into the multi mission warship.

Austal has delivered two Independence variant LCS – USS Manchester (LCS 14) and future USS Tulsa (LCS 16) – to the Navy in 2018 while another six are under construction including the future USS Oakland (LCS 24).

Future USS Charleston (LCS 18) is preparing for acceptance trials. Assembly is underway on future USS Cincinnati (LCS 20) and future USS Kansas City (LCS 22) and modules for future USS Mobile (LCS 26) and future USS Savannah (LCS 28) are under construction. Additionally, Austal has one more LCS in a pre-construction phase, the future USS Canberra (LCS 30).

LCS is a high speed, agile, shallow draft, mission-focused surface combatant designed for operations in the littoral environment, yet fully capable of open ocean operations.

As part of the surface fleet, LCS has the ability to counter and outpace evolving threats independently or within a network of surface combatants. Paired with advanced sonar and mine hunting capabilities, LCS provides a major contribution, as well as a more diverse set of options to commanders, across the spectrum of operations.

Each LCS will be outfitted with a mission package made up of reconfigurable mission modules containing warfighting systems and support equipment. A dedicated crew will combine with aviation assets to deploy manned and unmanned vehicles and sensors in support of mine countermeasures (MCM), anti-submarine warfare (ASW) or surface warfare (ASuW) missions.

An interchangeable mission package is embarked on each LCS and provides the primary mission systems in one of these warfare areas.

The LCS-class consists of the Freedom-variant and Independence-variant, designed and built by two industry teams. The Freedom-variant team is led by Lockheed Martin (for the odd-numbered ships, e.g. LCS 1) while the Independence-variant team is led by Austal USA (for LCS 6 and follow-on even-numbered ships).

Irene Hirano Inouye, future USS Daniel Inouye (DDG 118) sponsor and wife of the late Sen. Daniel Inouye, presents her initials on the keel plate following the ship’s keel authentication ceremony in Bath, Maine, May 14. (Photo by (Courtesy of) Dennis Griggs, Bath Iron Works)

Original article appears courtesy of NAVSEA

The keel of the future USS Daniel Inouye (DDG 118) was ceremoniously laid on May 14 at the Bath Iron Works (BIW) shipyard. 

Irene Hirano Inouye, the ship’s sponsor and wife of the late Sen. Daniel Inouye, was in attendance to authenticate the keel. During the ceremony, Mrs. Hirano Inouye etched her initials into the keel plate to symbolically recognize the joining of modular components and the ceremonial beginning of the ship.

“We are honored to have Mrs. Hirano Inouye authenticate the keel of the future USS Daniel Inouye,” said Capt. Casey Moton, DDG 51 class program manager, Program Executive Office (PEO) Ships.  “We wish the men and women who sail this exceptionally capable ship the same courageous spirit the late Sen. Inouye embodied.” 

The ship’s namesake, Daniel Inouye, served as a United States Senator from Hawaii from 1963 until his death in 2012. Sen. Inouye received the Medal of Honor for his heroism while serving with the 442nd Infantry Regiment in Italy during World War II. During an assault on April 21, 1945, he lost his right arm but continued to fight until the Regiment’s position was secured. 

DDG 118 will be built in the Flight IIA configuration with the Aegis Baseline 9 Combat System which includes Integrated Air and Missile Defense capability.  This system delivers quick reaction time, high firepower, and increased electronic countermeasures capability for Anti-Air Warfare.

These multi-mission surface combatants 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. 

BIW is also currently in production on the future destroyers Carl M. Levin (DDG 120), John Basilone (DDG 122), Harvey C. Barnum (DDG 124) – with start of construction on DDG 124 set to ceremoniously begin later this week – as well as the future Zumwalt-class destroyer, Lyndon B. Johnson (DDG 1002). 

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.

Matron of Honor Mary Easley welds the initials of Lance Corporal Miguel Keith’s mother.
(NASSCO)

Original article appears courtesy of General Dynamics/NASSCO

A time honored ceremony was held at General Dynamics NASSCO on January 30, 2018.

Keel laying is a long-recognized tradition of laying down the backbone of a ship. It is a milestone that marks when a ship begins to come to life. With the help of our NASSCO weld team, Mrs. Mary Easley, matron of honor and close friend of the Keith Family, welded Mrs. Delores Keith’s initials, the mother of the ship’s namesake, onto the keel plate. These initials will be a permanent part of the ship’s structure.

Miguel Keith, a native of San Antonio, Texas, began serving his country during the Vietnam War at the age of 18. On May 8, 1970, his platoon was subjected to heavy ground attack by an enemy force greatly outnumbering their own. Miguel was seriously wounded. Despite his injuries, Lance Corporal Keith demonstrated conspicuous gallantry and courage under fire. He ran across fire-swept terrain to deliver a hail of devastating machine-gun fire against the enemy.

A grenade detonated near Keith, injuring him further.

He got up again and charged an estimated 25 enemy soldiers who were massing to attack.

The vigor of his assault and his well-placed gun fire eliminated four enemy soldiers and caused the rest to retreat. Miguel’s heroic efforts contributed to the success of his platoon that day. During this combat, Miguel sustained mortal injuries.

Miguel’s valor and undaunted courage as a United States Marine resulted in him being posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.

The USNS Miguel Keith (ESB 5) will carry Miguel’s legacy and the legacy of America to people all over the world. The men and women of General Dynamics NASSCO are honored to build this ship that will bear his name.

(Photo from KLUK TV/SEAWAVES)

(Photo and article originally appeared courtesy of SEAWAVES)

The U.S. Navy held a keel laying and authentication ceremony for the future USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul (LCS 21) in Marinette, Feb. 22.

The initials of the ship’s sponsor, Jodi Greene, were welded onto a keel plate that will be permanently affixed to the ship. While the keel laying has traditionally represented the formal start of a ship’s construction, advanced modular shipbuilding allows fabrication of the ship to begin months in advance. Today, the keel laying continues to symbolically recognize the joining of the ship’s components and the ceremonial beginning of the ship.

“The Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul have a strong bond with the Navy. This littoral combat ship (LCS) will be the second ship to bear the cities’ name and will reaffirm that bond,” said Capt. Mike Taylor, LCS program manager. “We are honored to lay the keel of a ship which will protect our freedom and keep us safe as our Sailors operate her on the world’s seas.”

The ship is being built by an industry team led by Lockheed Martin at Fincantieri Marinette Marine Corporation in Marinette. The future USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul will be approximately 388 feet in length and have a width of nearly 58 feet.

LCS is a modular, reconfigurable ship designed to meet validated fleet requirements for surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, and mine countermeasures missions in the littoral region. An interchangeable mission package is embarked on each LCS and provides the primary mission systems in one of these warfare areas. Using an open architecture design, modular weapons, sensor systems and a variety of manned and unmanned vehicles to gain, sustain and exploit littoral maritime supremacy, LCS provides U.S. joint forces access to critical theaters.

Program Executive Office Littoral Combat Ships is responsible for delivering and sustaining littoral mission capabilities to the fleet.

MOBILE, Ala. (Nov. 15, 2017) Scott Beauchemin, left, from General Dynamics Mission Systems; Adm. Phil Davidson, commander of U.S. Fleet Forces Command; ship’s sponsor Tracy Davidson; Craig Perciavalle, Austal USA president; Adan Silva-Garibay, an Austal USA A-class welder; Tim McCue, Austal USA vice president of the Littoral Combat Ship Program, and Adm. John Neagley, pose for a photograph during a keel laying ceremony for the future Independence-class littoral combat ship USS Kansas City (LCS 22) at the Austal USA shipyard. USS Kansas City is the second ship to be named for Kansas City, Mo., the largest city in the state. (U.S. Navy photo courtesy of Austal USA/Released)

(Article originally appeared courtesy of Navy.mil)

The U.S. Navy held a keel laying and authentication ceremony for the future USS Kansas City (LCS 22) at Austal USA’s shipyard here Nov. 15.

Ship’s sponsor Tracy Davidson, wife of Adm. Philip Davidson, Commander Fleet Forces Command, authenticated the keel for the 11th Independence variant of the littoral combat ship class during the ceremony. While keel laying traditionally represents the formal start of a ship’s construction, advanced modular shipbuilding allows fabrication of the ship to begin months in advance. Today, keel laying continues to symbolically recognize the joining of the ship’s components and the ceremonial beginning of the ship.

“In the coming months, the hardworking men and women of Austal USA will pull one million feet of cable, install 550,000 square feet of insulation, weld 75,000 feet of pipe and shape 850 metric tons of aluminum into an engineering marvel,” said Rear Adm. John Neagley, program executive officer for Littoral Combat Ships.

LCS seaframe program manager’s representative, Navy Cmdr. Chris Addington, commended the Austal USA shipbuilders at the event.

“Through the hard work and dedication of the men and women of Austal, this keel will be built up to a highly-capable Navy ship,” he said. “Thanks to all of you for the effort that will be put into completing this great ship that will exemplify its namesake city.”

Kansas City will be approximately 418 feet in length, with a width of nearly 104 feet.

LCS is a modular, reconfigurable ship designed to host interchangeable mission packages onto the seaframe in support of surface warfare, mine countermeasures and anti-submarine warfare. The Navy’s LCS class consists of the Freedom variant and the Independence variant, designed and built by two industry teams. The Independence variant team is led by Austal USA and the Freedom variant team is led by Lockheed Martin. Both variants are purchased under a block-buy acquisition strategy. There are currently 13 LCSs under construction.

Program Executive Office Littoral Combat Ships is responsible for delivering and sustaining littoral mission capabilities to the fleet.

Ship’s Sponsors (left to right) Virginia Munford, Louisa Dixon and Pickett Wilson trace their initials onto a steel plate that will be welded inside the guided missile destroyer Lenah H. Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG 123). Photo by Michael Duhe/HII

(This article originally appeared courtesy of Navy.mil)

The keel of the future USS Lenah H. Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG 123) was ceremoniously laid Nov. 14, at the Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) shipyard.

The ship’s keel was authenticated by the ship’s sponsors, Louisa Dixon, Virginia Munford and Rolanda Pickett Wilson. The authenticators etched their initials into the keel plate to symbolically recognize the joining of modular components and the ceremonial beginning of the ship.

“The keel laying is the first major event in a shipbuilding program and the keel is known as the backbone of the ship,” said Capt. Casey Moton, DDG-51 class program manager, Program Executive Office (PEO) Ships. “With the keel in place, the ship will begin to take shape and I look forward to seeing that happen over the next several months.”

The ship’s namesake, Lenah H. Sutcliffe Higbee, served as the second Superintendent of the Navy Nurse Corps in 1911 and received the Navy Cross for distinguished service in the line of her profession and devotion to duty. When she entered naval service in 1908, she was one of the first 20 women to join the newly established Navy Nurse Corps and contributed her nursing skills to the Navy during the First World War.

DDG-123 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. The ship 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 their 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.

HII’s Pascagoula shipyard is also currently in production on the future destroyers Ralph Johnson (DDG 114), Paul Ignatius (DDG 117), Delbert D. Black (DDG 119) and Frank E. Petersen, Jr (DDG 121). Additionally, HII is under contract for the future USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125) which will be the first Flight III ship.

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.

(Photo Courtesy SeaWaves)

(This article originally appeared courtesy Navy.mil)

PASCAGOULA, Miss. (NNS) — The keel for the future USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD 28) was authenticated during a ceremony at Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII), Oct. 13.

Keel laying is the traditional start of ship construction. In the age of wooden ships, ‘keel laying’ referred to the laying down of the piece of timber serving as the backbone of the ship or keel. Although modern manufacturing techniques allow fabrication of portions of a ship to begin many months earlier, the joining together of modules is considered the formal beginning of a ship.

The keel was authenticated to be “truly and fairly laid” by the ship’s sponsor, Meredith Berger, former Deputy Chief of Staff to the Secretary of the Navy who previously served as a senior policy advisor within the Department of Defense, the Environmental Protection Agency and the State of Florida.

“I’m very honored to have Ms. Berger here today to take part in this event,” said Capt. Brian Metcalf, LPD 17 class program manager for Program Executive Office (PEO) Ships. “Authentication of the ship’s keel is a major ship event and we’re looking forward to leveraging the experience and expertise of the Ingalls Shipbuilding team to achieve future production milestones.”

San Antonio-class ships are designed to support embarking, transporting, and landing elements of over 800 Marines by landing craft, air cushion vehicles, helicopters, or MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft. These ships support a variety of amphibious assault, special operations or expeditionary warfare missions, operating independently or as part of amphibious readiness groups, expeditionary strike groups, or joint task forces. The versatility of these ships also allow support of humanitarian efforts; USS New York (LPD 21), a sister ship, is currently underway from Mayport, Florida, offering support in the wake of Hurricane Irma.

LPD-28 is named in honor of the Florida city and will be the first Navy vessel to bear the name and will be the Navy’s 12th San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship. The future USS Fort Lauderdale is planned for delivery in 2021. Eleven LPD-17 ships have been delivered, the most recent being USS Portland (LPD 27), which was delivered Sept. 18, 2017. HII is also procuring long lead time material and advance procurement in support of LPD-29.

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 boats and craft.

This Video shows the twelve ship christenings and commissionings that occurred from May 2013 to April 2014. The Society of Sponsors gratefully acknowledges and thanks our friends at the Naval Historical Foundation who produced the video for us.

https://youtu.be/_Ufj43DeVbM

By Lt. Cmdr. Jennifer Cragg, Commander, Submarine Group 2 Public Affairs

NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. (NNS) — The Navy celebrated the keel-laying of Pre-Commissioning Unit North Dakota (SSN 784) at General Dynamics Electric Boat-Quonset Point division in North Kingstown, May 11.

In a time-honored Navy tradition, ship’s sponsor Katie Fowler, wife of retired Vice Adm. Jeff Fowler, had her initials welded onto a steel plate that will be permanently affixed to North Dakota‘s hull.

“Being chosen to be the sponsor of North Dakota has been a great joy of my life,” said Fowler. “I am looking forward to a life-long relationship with my ship and its crew.”

Fowler, a native of Virginia, also stated that she was proud to be a sponsor of a Virginia-class submarine.

“USS North Dakota will always be in my thoughts and prayers,” said Fowler prior to the welding of her initials, which signifies a bond between the submarine and her crew.

Fowler, a former educator, has also served as a community leader as well as a supportive volunteer for most of her husband’s active-duty career. She has been recognized for her volunteer efforts with two Navy Public Service Awards.

Military attendees at the keel laying event included Adm. Kirkland Donald, director, Naval Nuclear Propulsion; Vice Adm. John Richardson, commander, Submarine Forces; Rear Adm. Dave Johnson, PEO Submarines; Rear Adm. Rick Breckenridge, commander, Submarine Group 2; and Rear Adm. Stuart Munsch, deputy director, Undersea Warfare (OPNAV N97).

“The Navy/industry shipbuilding team continues to build and deliver these outstanding assets ahead of schedule and ready to contribute to the high tempo operations our Submarine Force executes around the globe,” said Rear Adm. David Johnson, program executive officer for Submarines.

Vice Adm. John Richardson, commander, Submarine Forces Atlantic spoke during the ceremony emphasizing the importance of partnerships.

“Today marks the first time we bring together the whole team of partners as we start this journey together,” said Richardson. “To mark our dedication, we’ll strike an arc and weld our sponsor’s initials into the steel that will become one of the most capable warships in the world – extending our undersea superiority for decades.”

Richardson also emphasized the important role of the ship’s sponsor during the life of the submarine.

“I can think of no one better, than her sponsor Ms. Katie Fowler, who has become the heart and soul of this crew,” said Richardson. “In the tradition of her namesake state, from this moment on, may the North Dakota always be a ‘Peace Garden’ for our friends and allies, and be like the ‘Rough Riders’ to those who threaten us.”

Government officials from Rhode Island and North Dakota also attended the milestone event, as well as a commissioning committee delegation.

“The May 11 keel laying ceremony for our USS North Dakota marks the first major milestone in the journey of the second U.S. Navy ship to be named after our great state of North Dakota,” said Bob Wefald, PCU North Dakota Commissioning Committee chair.

“As the commissioning chair, I’m delighted to be able to attend this ceremony as all of us in North Dakota intend to keep this marvelous submarine and its crew in thoughts and prayers not only in its construction, but throughout its thirty-three years of expected service life,” said Wefald.

The congressional leadership who attended included Rhode Island Governor Lincoln D. Chafee; Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, of Rhode Island; Sen. John Hoeven, of North Dakota; Rep. Jim Langevin, of Rhode Island; and Rep. David Cicilline, of Rhode island. North Dakota‘s keel-laying is the submarine’s first major event since it began construction in 2009.

In addition to North Dakota‘s keel laying, the Virginia-class program will celebrate PCU Mississippi‘s (SSN 782) commissioning in June and PCU Minnesota‘s (SSN 783) christening in November.

Cmdr. Doug Gordon, PCU North Dakota‘s commanding officer also emphasized the meaning of this event for the shipyard and the crew.

“Today’s keel laying event is not only an important milestone event in the construction phase of North Dakota, but also is a testament to the hard work by our shipbuilding partners and the crew,” said Gordon.

PCU North Dakota, the second ship named in honor of North Dakota, will be delivered by General Dynamics Electric Boat in Groton and will be the 11th Virginia-class submarine when it is commissioned in 2014.

The only other ship to bear the name North Dakota was the Delaware-class USS North Dakota (BB 29), which was in service from 1910 to 1923.

Virginia-class submarines are designed to dominate the world’s littoral and deep waters while conducting anti-submarine; anti-surface ship; strike; irregular; and mine warfare missions; as well as support special operation forces; and covert intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance.