Aug. 10 (UPI) — Austal USA on Saturday officially christened the Point Loma, a U.S. Navy support ship.
The ship is named after a peninsula in San Diego, Calif., not far from Naval Amphibious Base Coronado.
The Spearhead-class Expeditionary Fast Transport Flight II ship is the second of three to be built by Astral, which is based on Blakeley Island in Mobile, Ala.
The USNS Point Loma was christened by Elizabeth Asher, who lived for a long time in the California neighborhood with her husband, a retired U.S. Navy doctor.
“The ship is named in honor of the community of Point Loma and its decades-long relationship with the Navy, beginning with the establishment of the Naval Coaling Station, La Playa, in 1901, and later the Naval Supply Center San Diego in 1943,” the U.S. Department of Defense said in a statement.
The ship’s keel was authenticated in June 2023.
The EPF ships are designed to act as a fast transport but can also function with enhanced medical capability or both. They are able to care for up to 147 medical patients and are equipped with two operating rooms.