Mrs. Rumsfeld christens the Arlington

PASCAGOULA, Miss. (WALA) - Mrs. Donald Rumsfeld joined the first responders from 9/11 to christen the amphibious transport dock ship Arlington (LPD 24) at Northrop Grumman shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi.

The ship is named for the city of Arlington, Virginia, honoring the 184 victims in the air and on the ground who lost their lives when American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon on September 11, 2001.

The Arlington also honors the military and civilian employees, emergency, fire and rescue personnel of Arlington County and surrounding communities who provided the critical assistance after the attack.

Ship sponsor Joyce Rumsfeld, wife of former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, smashed a ceremonial bottle across the bow of the ship signifying LPD 24 to be christened "Arlington."

Arlington County Fire Chief James Schwartz delivered the ceremony's principal address. He was Deputy Fire Chief and Incident Commander at the time of the 9/11 attacks, coordinating the rescue response efforts on the ground at the Pentagon.

Arlington (LPD 24) is one of three ships Northrop Grumman is building to honor the heroes and victims of the September 11th terrorist attacks. USS New York (LPD 21) has been delivered to the Navy and Somerset (LPD 25), named for the county in Pennsylvania where United Flight 93 crashed, is currently under construction in Avondale, Louisiana.

Cmdr. Darren W. Nelson, of Rushville, Neb., is the ship's prospective commanding officer.

LPD 24 is the third U.S. Navy ship to bear the name Arlington. The 11 ships of the LPD 17 class are a key element of the Navy's ability to project power ashore. Collectively, these ships functionally replace over 41 ships (LPD 4, LSD 36, LKA 113, and LST 1179 classes of amphibious ships) providing the Navy and Marine Corps with modern, sea-based platforms that are networked, survivable and built to operate with 21st Century platforms, such as the MV-22 Osprey and the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV).

The LPD 17-class ships are 684 feet long, 105 feet wide and displace approximately 25,000 tons. Their principal mission is to deploy the combat and support elements of Marine Expeditionary Units and Brigades. The ship can carry up to 800 troops and have the capability of transporting and debarking air cushion or conventional landing craft and EFVs, augmented by helicopters or vertical take-off and landing aircraft such as the MV-22. These ships will support amphibious assault, special operations or expeditionary warfare missions through the first half of the 21st century.