The ship is designed for speed and built for war
MARINETTE -- Congressman Bart Stupak and former United States Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England, among many others, celebrated the christening of USS Fort Worth.
Saturday, the ship's sponsor, Congresswoman Kay Granger of Texas, did the honors, smashing a champagne bottle across the bow.
"It's a huge honor for the city of 740,000 people,” said Granger. “And they're all very excited about it; it's a huge honor for the city."
In March of 2009, the U.S. Navy awarded Lockheed Martin, a global security company headquartered in Maryland, a contract to construct the ship. It was built by Marinette Marine Corporation in Marinette, Wisconsin.
"We're waiting on Congress to potentially approve language that would then allow the split buy by the Navy of more littoral combat ships,” said Marinette Marine CEO Richard McCreary, “Which would ultimately mean a contract for 10 more ships here at Marinette Marine."
Now, USS Fort Worth is 80 percent complete. The 389-foot ship will wrap up testing and construction at Marinette Marine and be sent to Fort Worth, Texas around the fall of 2012. The 3,000 ton ship is one of the fastest warships in the U.S. Navy arsenal, able to go more than 50 miles per hour.
"We have a reserve base overseen by the Navy and so the Navy is very, very important to our community,” Granger said. “And they're the people from the base, some of them are here, and we have a huge Navy league. It is a very important part of our history and our future."
Ninety-two people from Fort Worth, Texas came to witness the christening first hand. Needless to say, the community is looking forward to the delivery.
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