The Navy will christen the newest destroyer, USS Michael Monsoor (DDG 1001), Saturday, June 18 during a 10 a.m. EDT ceremony at the General Dynamics-Bath Iron Works shipyard in Bath, Maine.
The second ship in the Zumwalt-class of destroyers, DDG 1001 is named in honor of Medal of Honor recipient Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class (SEAL) Michael A. Monsoor. Sally Monsoor, petty officer Monsoor’s mother, will serve as the ship’s sponsor.
Retired Navy Vice Adm. Joseph Maguire will serve as the principal speaker. Highlighting the event will be Mrs. Monsoor breaking a bottle of sparkling wine across the bow to formally christen the ship – a time-honored Navy tradition.
“I’m tremendously honored to be a part of this christening, the next step in getting DDG 1001 to the fleet in order to conduct prompt and sustained maritime operations,” said the Honorable Janine Davidson, under secretary of the Navy. “DDG 1001 is an extremely capable and versatile ship with an incredible namesake. I have every confidence that the ship and crew will both live up to and honor Petty Officer Monsoor’s legacy as the ship’s motto implies – You Never Quit.”
On Sept. 29, 2006 in Ar Ramadi, Iraq, Petty Officer Monsoor was part of a sniper overwatch security position with two other SEALs and several Iraqi Army soldiers when an insurgent closed in and threw a fragmentation grenade into the position. The grenade hit Monsoor in the chest before falling to the ground. Positioned next to the single exit, Monsoor was the only one who could have escaped harm. Instead he dropped onto the grenade, smothering it to protect his teammates. The grenade detonated as he came down on top of it, inflicting a mortal wound. Monsoor’s actions that day saved the lives of his two teammates and the accompanying Iraqi soldiers. His Medal of Honor citation reads, “by his undaunted courage, fighting spirit, and unwavering devotion to duty in the face of certain death, Petty Officer Monsoor gallantly gave his life for his country, thereby reflecting great credit upon himself and upholding the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.”
The future USS Michael Monsoor includes new technologies and will serve as a multi-mission platform capable of operating as an integral part of naval, joint or combined maritime forces. The ship features two advanced gun systems firing long-range, land-attack projectiles that reach up to 63 nautical miles. These guns will provide precision, high volume and persistent fire support to forces ashore with an approximate five-fold improvement in naval surface fire range. In addition, DDG 1001 will be the second Navy surface combatant to employ an innovative and highly flexible Integrated Power System, providing potentially significant energy savings that are well-suited to enable future high energy weapons and sensors.
Construction on the future USS Michael Monsoor commenced in March 2010, with the keel laying ceremony held in May 2013. The Michael Monsoor is 610 feet long, with a displacement of approximately 15,000 tons when fully loaded.
Read the Original Article at Global Security
The noble warrior deserves the honor!