SAN DIEGO (AP) — The military on Saturday christened a Navy
logistics ship in honor of John Glenn, the first American to orbit
Earth.
The former Ohio senator attended the ceremony in San Diego
at General Dynamics’ National Steel and Shipbuilding Company, along with
his wife and daughter.
The 785-foot USNS John Glenn is a Mobile
Landing Platform ship — a new type of amphibious staging and assault
vessel. It’s the second one ordered by the Navy to quickly transport
troops and supplies to shore.
"What better name could adorn this
ship than John Glenn — a risk taker, an innovator, a man who got the job
done," said Rear Admiral Thomas Shannon during the nearly hourlong
ceremony.
Admiral Jonathan Greenert, chief of naval operations,
called the ship "a giant Swiss Army knife" that can serve combat and
humanitarian missions.
Greenert said he wished the ship was
available during the Philippine typhoon last year since it has 25,000
square foot of cargo space.
The 92-year-old Glenn, a Marine pilot
during World War II and the Korean War, told the audience that he was
proud of the ship bearing his name. He also paid homage to the people he
served alongside.
"We’re proud of this ship for them and along with my name on it. We’re joint partners in this,"
he said.
To
make the name official, Glenn’s daughter, Lyn, broke a bottle of
sparkling wine against the hull as attendees cheered and clapped.
In
a statement, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus called the christening "a
fitting tribute" to the man who in 1962 became the first American to
orbit the Earth as a member of the Mercury 7 program, America’s first
corps of astronauts.
After the historic spaceflight, he ran for
Senate and served for 24 years. In 1998, he returned to flying and
became the oldest person to fly in space when he joined a space shuttle
mission at the age of 77.
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