Navy’s USNS Medgar Evers christened in California

SAN  DIEGO — General Dynamics NASSCO, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics, has christened the U.S. Navy’s newest supply ship, USNS Medgar Evers (T-AKE 13).

Named in honor of the African American civil rights leader from Mississippi, the USNS Medgar Evers is the 13th ship of a class of 14 dry cargo/ammunition ships designed and built by NASSCO.

More than 1,000 people attended the Saturday morning christening ceremony for the USNS Medgar Evers at NASSCO’s San Diego shipyard. Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, former Mississippi governor, was the ceremony’s principal speaker. Myrlie Evers, the widow of the late Medgar Evers, served as the ship’s sponsor. She christened the ship by breaking the traditional bottle of champagne against the hull of the 689-foot-long vessel.

“Each ship in the T-AKE Class is named for a noted pioneer in our nation’s history. Mr. Evers was an Army veteran of World War II and an important civil rights pioneer. The NASSCO team is proud to add Medgar Evers’ name to this distinguished list,” said Fred Harris, president of NASSCO.

USNS Medgar Evers is the 13th ship of the Lewis and Clark (T-AKE) Class of dry cargo ammunition ships General Dynamics NASSCO is building for the U.S. Navy. NASSCO began constructing USNS Medgar Evers in April 2010. Following its at-sea testing phase, the ship will be delivered to the Navy in the second quarter of 2012. USNS Medgar Evers will mark the 13th T-AKE ship that NASSCO has delivered to the Navy since 2006.