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Here is the full press release about
the ship named in honor of Medal Of Honor recipient Ralph E. Pomeroy |
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NEWS RELEASE
March
10, 2001
SUBJECT:
NASSCO LAUNCHES THE USNS POMEROY
FOR
INFORMATION:
Jim Scott (619)
544-7708 or Dan Peoples (858)
552-1456
SAN DIEGO, CA -- National Steel and Shipbuilding Company
(NASSCO), a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), has
joined with the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Army to launch the USNS
Pomeroy (T-AKR 316), the seventh of eight new strategic sealift
ships being built for the Navy by NASSCO.
At
a length of 950 feet and with a beam of 105 feet, the strategic sealift
ships are the largest ships ever launched down a sliding ways in the
United States and the largest ships that can fit through the Panama
Canal. The launch was open to the public and thousands of NASSCO
employees and spectators applauded as the ship was christened at 9:39
a.m. and released stern-first into San Diego Bay.
Christening the ship with a ceremonial bottle of champagne was
the ship's sponsor Arlene Pomeroy Castle, sister of Private First Class
Ralph E. Pomeroy, for whom the ship is named.
Her Maid of Honor was Nancy Pomeroy, also a sister of PFC
Pomeroy. PFC Pomeroy was
posthumously awarded the U.S. Army Medal of Honor for his heroic actions
in Korea in October 1952.
The principal speaker at the launch was Congressman Duke
Cunningham (R-Ca), a member of the Defense subcommittee of the House
Appropriations Committee, who was recently elected to his sixth term in
the House of Representatives.
He was introduced by Congressman Bill Young (R-Fl.), Chairman of
the House Appropriations Committee.
Other speakers at the launch included Vice Admiral Gordon S.
Holder, U.S. Navy, Commander, Military Sealift Command; Rear Admiral
Dennis G. Morral, U.S. Navy Program Executive Officer for Expeditionary
Warfare Programs;
Brigadier
General Edward T. Buckley, Assistant Division Commander, 7th Infantry
Division, representing the U.S. Army; and Richard H. Vortmann, president
of NASSCO.
All of NASSCO's strategic sealift ships are being named for U.S.
Army Medal of Honor recipients. The
USNS Watson, USNS
Sisler, USNS Dahl, USNS Red Cloud, USNS Charlton and
USNS Watkins have been
completed and delivered to the Navy. The eighth ship is currently under
construction on NASSCO’s inclined building ways and is scheduled to be
launched in April 2002, with delivery in September 2002.
The
strategic sealift ships are large, medium-speed, roll-on, roll-off ships
(LMSRs) with more than 390,000 square feet of cargo carrying space.
The NASSCO-built LMSRs are assigned to the U.S. Navy’s Military
Sealift Command, and carry prepositioned U.S. Army tanks, armored
personnel carriers, tractor-trailers, and other combat equipment and
supplies to potential areas of conflict around the world.
Their multi-use capabilities make these cargo ships among the
most flexible ever built. NASSCO (www.nassco.com) is the only West Coast shipyard capable of building and repairing large ocean-going vessels for the Navy and commercial customers. The shipyard employs approximately 3,000 people in San Diego.
General Dynamics (www.generaldynamics.com)
of Falls Church, Virginia, has leading market positions in shipbuilding
and marine systems, land and amphibious combat systems, information
systems, and business aviation. The corporation employs approximately 46,000 people worldwide
and anticipates 2001 sales of approximately $11.5 billion. |
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