The Navy will christen the newest amphibious transport dock ship, Anchorage, Saturday, May 14, 2011, during a 10 a.m. CDT ceremony at Huntington Ingalls Industries – Avondale Shipyard in Avondale, La.
Anchorage is named in honor of the largest city in Alaska.
Under Secretary of the Navy Robert Work will deliver the ceremony’s principal address. Annette Conway, wife of former Marine Corps Commandant General James T. Conway, 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.
Designated LPD 23, Anchorage is the seventh amphibious transport dock ship in the San Antonio class. As an element of future expeditionary strike groups, the ship will support Marine Corps ship-to-shore mobility, which consists of the landing craft air cushion vehicle, amphibious assault vehicles and the Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft. Anchorage 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.
One previous ship carried the name Anchorage. The first USS Anchorage (LSD-36) was commissioned in 1969, earning the Meritorious Unit Commendation and six battle stars for Vietnam service, receiving the Navy Unit Citation and the South West Asia Service Medal (2 stars) for Operation Desert Storm and supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. When decommissioned in 2003, the first USS Anchorage was the most decorated dock landing ship on the West Coast.
Cmdr. Brian J. Quin is the prospective commanding officer and will lead a crew of 360 officers and enlisted Navy personnel and three Marines. The 24,900-ton Anchorage is being built by Huntington Ingalls Industries – Avondale Shipyard in Louisiana. 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.
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Source: Defense, May 12, 2011; Image: HII