Construction of the Navy's second mobile landing platform – to be christened the USNS John Glenn – began this week at the General Dynamics NASSCO shipyard in San Diego.
During a keel-laying ceremony Tuesday, Lyn Glenn, a daughter of Glenn, the former astronaut and U.S. senator from Ohio, and Helen Toolan, wife of Marine Corp. Lt. Gen. John Toolan Jr., welded their initials to a steel builder's plate that will stay with the 784-foot-long ship during its service.
The ship is designed for landing vehicles and other military equipment and providing long-term support for troops on land, thereby reducing dependency on foreign ports, according to NASSCO.
Delivery of the MLP is scheduled for first quarter 2014.
The first ship in the class, the USNS Montford Point, took to the water for the first time last month and is scheduled to be delivered to the Navy in May, according to NASSCO.
– City News Service
