Christening Set For Navy Ship Named For 9/11 Site
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The Navy plans a Saturday christening for the USS Somerset, the last of three ships named for sites of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
The amphibious landing transport is named for the Pennsylvania county where the hijacked United Airlines Flight 93 crashed after passengers fought back against a terrorist takeover.
The 684-foot-long Somerset is the final ship to be built at the Huntington Ingalls Shipyard in suburban Avondale. The yard is scheduled to close in 2013; its workforce has been cut nearly in half since 2010.
Family members of Flight 93 passengers will attend the christening on Saturday morning.
The Somerset’s sister ships are the New York and Arlington. Each carries steel salvaged from the 9/11 wreckage. The Somerset has a room set aside with a display of 9/11 artifacts.
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