General
Dynamics NASSCO hosted a keel laying ceremony for the second Mobile
Landing Platform (MLP) ship at the company's San Diego shipbuilding
facility. Ms. Lyn Glenn, daughter of John Herschel Glenn, Jr., the first
American astronaut to orbit the Earth, and Mrs. Helen L. Toolan, wife
of Lieutenant General John A. Toolan, Jr., Commanding General, I Marine
Expeditionary Force, were the honorees for the ceremony.
Ms. Lyn Glenn, daughter of John Herschel Glenn, Jr., the irst American
astronaut to orbit the Earth, and Mrs. Helen L. Toolan, wife of Lieutenant
General John A. Toolan, Jr., Commanding General, I Marine Expeditionary
Force, were the honorees for the ceremony. Click image for hi res version.
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Glenn and Toolan validated the MLP ship's keel by
welding their initials onto a steel plate. The steel plate on which
their initials are welded will be permanently affixed to the ship's
keel, remaining with the vessel throughout its time in service.
Delivery of the second MLP ship is scheduled for first quarter 2014.
This second MLP ship will be named John Glenn, in honor of John Herschel
Glenn, Jr., the former U.S. Marine Corps pilot, astronaut and U.S. senator.
Glenn was the first American to orbit the Earth and the third American
in space.
"Laying the keel of this second Mobile Landing Platform and finishing
construction of the first ship are the latest milestones in this successful
shipbuilding program," said Fred Harris, president of General Dynamics
NASSCO. "These events serve as evidence of the NASSCO team building
and delivering MLP ships efficiently, in support of U.S. Navy efforts
to maintain a forward presence."
The MLP is a flexible platform that will provide capability for large
scale logistics movements such as the transfer of vehicles and equipment
from sea to shore. It will significantly reduce dependency on foreign
ports and provide support in the absence of any port, making it especially
useful during disaster response and for supporting Marines once they
are ashore. The MLP in its basic form possesses a core capability set
that supports a vehicle staging area, sideport ramp, large mooring fenders
and up to three landing craft air cushioned vessel (LCAC) lanes.
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