USNS Cesar Chavez Christened in Ceremony

The Navy's dry cargo and ammunition ship Cesar Chavez has been christened and launched at a ceremony at the General Dynamics NASSCO shipyard.

The 689-foot ship is named for the late Mexican-American labor leader, who served two years in the Navy – he enlisted at age 17 – during World War II, before his long career in picking crops and, later, labor politics.

Chavez died at 66 in 1993. The christening, attended by General Dynamics executives and Chavez family members, took place Saturday.

The Chavez is a T-AKE 14, which supplies other Navy ships at sea. It is capable of cruising at 20 knots, with a range of about 14,000 nautical miles, and can carry about 10,000 tons of cargo.

The Lewis and Clark-class vessel is the 14th and the last of its kind to be built. The ship, which carries two helicopters, will have a crew of about 50 military personnel and 120 civilians.

Chavez, whose family moved from Mexico to Arizona before it was a state, co-founded the National Farm Workers Association, which later became United Farm Workers. In California, his birthday, March 31, is a state holiday.

His widow and six children, along with dozens of other relatives, got a chance to tour the ship earlier.

was handed over to the Navy last month. 

– City News Service