PASCAGOULA, Miss. (March 21, 2015) – Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (NYSE:HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division christened the company’s 10th amphibious transport dock, John P. Murtha (LPD 26), today in front of more than 1,100 guests.
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., was the featured speaker at the ceremony. “Jack Murtha poured everything—everything he was, everything he had—into the service of our country and the lives of the American people,” she said of her colleague, who represented Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District for 36 years until his death in 2010. “To watch Chairman Murtha legislate was to see a master at work, but more indicative of his character was to watch him communicate with our men and women in uniform, whether on the battlefield or at their bedside. He knew how serious a responsibility it is to send our men and women into harm’s way, and he was unwavering in his conviction that we must honor their sacrifice not only with our words but our deeds.
“Like its namesake, the John P. Murtha will provide our servicemen and women the means to enter the battle and to make their way back home,” Pelosi continued. “Congratulations to Ingalls Shipbuilding and all of the hard-working men and women who have put their skill and determination into this ship and this special day.”
Ship Sponsor Donna S. Murtha breaks a bottle of sparkling wine across the bow of the amphibious transport dock LPD 26, officially christening the ship John P. Murtha. Photo by Lance Davis/HII
