By Mark Edward Nero
A christening ceremony for the US Navy’s newest ship, the USNS John Glenn, was held the morning of Feb. 1 at the San Diego shipyard of build and repair company NASSCO.
The ship, which is named in honor of former Marine Corps pilot, Congressional Space Medal of Honor recipient and four-term US senator John Glenn, is the second of three Mobile Landing Platform (MLP) vessels designed and built by NASSCO.
The MLP is a flexible platform that provides capability for large-scale logistics movements, like the transfer of vehicles and equipment from sea to shore. It is expected to significantly reduce dependency on foreign ports and provide support in the absence of any port, making it particularly useful during disaster response and for supporting Marines once they’re ashore.
Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Jonathan W. Greenert was the principal speaker during the ceremony. Sen. Glenn’s daughter, Lyn Glenn, served as the ship’s sponsor and christened the vessel by breaking the traditional bottle of champagne against the ship’s hull.
“May this ship serve our country well and be strengthened with the legacy of our distinguished guest, the Honorable John Glenn,” General Dynamics NASSCO President Fred Harris said. “The USNS John Glenn carries with it the skill, dedication and the high regard for quality of the hundreds of men and women involved in its design and construction.”
The vessel’s expected to be delivered to the Navy sometime during the first quarter of 2014.
