PASCAGOULA, Miss., Nov. 5, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Huntington Ingalls Industries' (NYSE:HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division today authenticated the keel of the sixth U.S. Coast Guard National Security Cutter, Munro (WMSL 755).
"At this stage of construction, the NSC 6 is more complete and has better cost performance than any previous NSC," said Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Cuccias. "Working together, the Ingalls and Coast Guard team continues to identify opportunities to improve our performance and provide our customer with the highest-quality ship at the lowest possible cost. We are excited to be building Munro, and we're ready to work with our friends in the Coast Guard to build more cutters when they are ready."
The ship is named to honor Coast Guard Signalman First Class Douglas A. Munro. Munro died heroically on Sept. 27, 1942, on Guadalcanal. Having volunteered to evacuate a detachment of Marines who were facing annihilation by a large and unanticipated enemy force, he succeeded in safely extricating them and in doing so was mortally wounded.
For his heroic and selfless actions in the completion of this rescue mission, Munro was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. He is the Coast Guard's sole recipient of the award.

Roderick P. Funches, a structural welder at Ingalls Shipbuilding, welds the initials of Julie Sheehan on a ceremonial keel plate that will be welded to WMSL 755, the National Security Cutter named in honor of her great uncle, Douglas A. Munro. Photo by Andrew Young/HII