USS Somerset (LPD-25)
| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | Somerset |
| Namesake: | Somerset County, Pennsylvania |
| Awarded: | 27 December 2007 |
| Builder: | Avondale Shipyard |
| Laid down: | 11 December 2009 |
| Sponsored by: | Mrs. Mary Jo Myers |
| Status: | Under construction |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock |
| Displacement: | 25,000 tons full |
| Length: | 208.5 m (684 ft) overall, 201.4 m (661 ft) waterline |
| Beam: | 31.9 m (105 ft) extreme, 29.5 m (97 ft) waterline |
| Draft: | 7 m (23 ft) |
| Propulsion: | Four Colt-Pielstick diesel engines, two shafts, 40,000 hp (30 MW) |
| Speed: | 22 knots (41 km/h) |
| Boats and landing craft carried: |
Two LCACs (air cushion) or one LCU (conventional) |
| Capacity: | 699 (66 officers, 633 enlisted); surge to 800 total. |
| Complement: | 28 officers, 333 enlisted |
| Armament: | Two 30 mm Bushmaster II cannons, for surface threat defense; two Rolling Airframe Missile launchers for air defense |
| Aircraft carried: | Four CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters or two MV-22 tilt rotor aircraft may be launched or recovered simultaneously. |
USS Somerset (LPD-25), a San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock, is the fifth ship of the United States Navy of that name; in this case in honor of Somerset County, Pennsylvania.
The name honors the passengers of United Airlines Flight 93 whose actions prevented terrorist hijackers from reaching their intended target, forcing the airplane to crash in Stonycreek Township in Somerset County, PA, on September 11, 2001. In the words of Secretary of the Navy Gordon England, "The courage and heroism of the people aboard the flight will never be forgotten and USS Somerset will leave a legacy that will never be forgotten by those wishing to do harm to this country." Some 22 tons of steel from a crane that stood near Flight 93's crash site have been used to construct Somerset's stemhold.[1]
The contract to build Somerset was awarded on 21 December 2007, to Northrop Grumman Ship Systems of Pascagoula, Mississippi. Mrs. Mary Jo Myers, the wife of General Richard Myers, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is the ship's sponsor. Somerset's keel was laid down on 11 December 2009, at Northrop Grumman's Avondale shipyard in New Orleans, Louisiana.
[edit] References
This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain. The entry can be found here.
- ^ "9/11 steel poured for USS Somerset", Kirk Swauger, The Tribune-Democrat, August 6, 2008
[edit] External links
- pms317.navy.mil: LPD 25 Somerset
- Priolo, Gary P. (22 January 2010). "USS Somerset (LPD-25)". Amphibious Photo Archive. NavSource Naval History. http://www.navsource.org/archives/10/09/0925.htm. Retrieved 2010-06-12.
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