Navy Names Ship for Gabby Giffords

[cigaretteman]

Navy Secretary Ray Mabus announced at a ceremony attended by Giffords that a new Littoral Combat Ship would be named for the Arizona congresswoman who survived a Jan. 2011 assassination attempt, Navy Times reports.
"The selection of Gabrielle Giffords, designated LCS 10, honors the former Congresswoman from Tucson, Arizona, who is known for supporting the military and veterans, advocating for renewable energy and championing border security," the Navy said in a statement accompanying the announcement.
The Navy says the USS Gabrielle Giffords will be 419 feet in length, have a waterline beam of 103 feet, displace approximately 3,000 tons, and make speed in excess of 40 knots.
It is the 17th ship to be named for a woman, and the 13th ship to be named for a living person since 1850, the Navy say.
Roxanna Green, whose 9-year-old daughter Christina-Taylor Green was killed in the shooting, was named sponsor of the ship.
"Giffords and the ship's sponsor, Roxanna Green, are sources of great inspiration and represent the Navy and Marine Corps qualities of overcoming, adapting and coming out victorious despite great challenges," Mabus said.
LCSs recently have been named for cities.

U.S. Navy names a ship for Gabby Giffords

 

[Cyclonepride]

I thought that was one of the cool looking ones, and it is. Nice way to honor her.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Littoral_combat_ship

 

[Naughtius]

Hadn't heard of a littoral combat ship. Looks like a bad mo-fo to me. The article I read didn't refer to pirates, but gotta think they'd be effective in fighting them. I know I wouldn't want to see one of these coming up over the horizon on me if I was naughty.

 

[CyBer]

Weird ship, pretty cool though.

 

[VTXCyRyD]

That ship is suppose to be able to take a round from a cannon right through the bridge and still survive.

 

[Naughtius]

That ship is suppose to be able to take a round from a cannon right through the bridge and still survive.

Ship maybe. Swabbie unfortunate to be on round's flightpath not so much.

 

[NickTheGreat]

Good for her! :smile:

 

[BigM]

Independence or freedom class?

http://defense-update.com/images_new2/lcs_independence.jpg -independence class
http://www.public.navy.mil/surfor/lcs1/PublishingImages/uss-freedom.jpg -freedom class
edit: found out that its gonna be an independence class ship (the tri-maran)

 

[cyhiphopp]

That ship is suppose to be able to take a round from a cannon right through the bridge and still survive.

 

[Knownothing]

As a Marine I find this a horrible injustice. This lady has done nothing to deserve a ship named after her. Ships should be reserved for all Presidents and war heros. Hell Dakota Meyer does not even have a ship named after him. First Sgt Kassal does not have one named after him. Don't name ships after people for no reason.

 

[CyDude16]

As a Marine I find this a horrible injustice. This lady has done nothing to deserve a ship named after her. Ships should be reserved for all Presidents and war heros. Hell Dakota Meyer does not even have a ship named after him. First Sgt Kassal does not have one named after him. Don't name ships after people for no reason.

So tell us how you really feel?

 

[Knownothing]

So tell us how you really feel?

Yeah I know. When their are thousands of Marines, navy and Army personel sitting in Walter Reed and Balboa with war wounds that they will never be the same and you dedicate a ship in her honor. Someone who never served in our military, it pisses me off. She is a politician. While the president may be a politician. He is the CIC and I would give that a vote. Any president for the record.

 

[baller21]

That ship is suppose to be able to take a round from a cannon right through the bridge and still survive.

quick, somebody call Mythbusters!

 

[groomsie]

That ship is suppose to be able to take a round from a cannon right through the bridge and still survive.

Actually, they are being widely criticized for being too "soft" to survive combat. If interested in reading more, try The LCS is not expected to be survivable in a hostile combat environment… | USNI Blog or LCS: The USA’s New Littoral Combat Ships.


As a former naval officer (Iowa State NROTC '90) that bothers me. Combat ships are meant to go into harms way and have a decent chance of coming out of combat with the ship (and hopefully the crew too) surviving.

• I wish to have no connection with any ship that does not sail fast; for I intend to go in harm's way.
  • Letter to Le Ray de Chaumont (16 November 1778), as quoted in The Naval History of the United States (1890) by Willis John Abbot, p. 82

 

[BigBake]

Yeah I know. When their are thousands of Marines, navy and Army personel sitting in Walter Reed and Balboa with war wounds that they will never be the same and you dedicate a ship in her honor. Someone who never served in our military, it pisses me off. She is a politician. While the president may be a politician. He is the CIC and I would give that a vote. Any president for the record.

I'm kinda with you on this one. I even raised an eyebrow now that it's called an "assassination attempt".

 

[jdoggivjc]

As a Marine I find this a horrible injustice. This lady has done nothing to deserve a ship named after her. Ships should be reserved for all Presidents and war heros. Hell Dakota Meyer does not even have a ship named after him. First Sgt Kassal does not have one named after him. Don't name ships after people for no reason.

Really? Tell that to the Navy, who has named 16 previous ships after women, none of whom I'd assume were neither presidents nor war heroes.

The bottom line is the US Navy owns that ship and they can damn well name it after whatever or whomever they want to, Knownothing's opinion be damned.

 

[BigBake]

Really? Tell that to the Navy, who has named 16 previous ships after women, none of whom I'd assume were neither presidents nor war heroes.

The bottom line is the US Navy owns that ship and they can damn well name it after whatever or whomever they want to, Knownothing's opinion be damned.

Knownothing is a Marine....he earned his right to state his damn opinion on this.

 

[jdoggivjc]

Knownothing is a Marine....he earned his right to state his damn opinion on this.

Trust me, I respect veterans' opinions on a lot of topics. But on big time decisions such as naming ships when there is clear precedent that far outdates his opinion? Not so much.

 

[Knownothing]

That's the problem. Our opinions on stuff don't count. Also the tax payers own that ship. Also the marine corps is part of the navy and I served long enough to have aj opinion. As far as the other ships named after the women. I don't agree with any of them unless those women were war heros or military pioneers

 

[CloneIce]

Bigbake, when a member of congress is shot like that, by any definition its an assassination attempt. So you can put your eyebrow down.