The Navy will christen its newest amphibious transport dock ship, the future USS Fort Lauderdale, at 10 a.m. CDT Saturday in Pascagoula, Miss.
"Tomorrow, we christen the future USS Fort Lauderdale, recognizing a city with a proud naval history," Secretary of the Navy Carlose Del Toro said in a Department of Defense news release.
"This momentous occasions brings us one step closer to 'manning the rails' with the men and women who will carry on the naval tradition of defending our nation and working towards a more peaceful world."
The ship is the 12th San Antonio-class ship, designed to support Marines with a variety of amphibious assault, special operations and expeditionary warfare missions. It includes a flight deck and hangar to operate CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters and the Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft.
Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Mayor Dean Trantalis will deliver the principal address at Saturday's ceremony at the Huntington Ingalls Industries Ingalls Division shipyard. The ship's sponsor, Meredith Berger, will break a bottle of sparkling wine across the ship's bow.
Huntington Ingalls Industries won a $1.46 billion contract in 2016 to design and build the ship, which was launched in March 2020.
