future USNS Lansing (EPF 16) christened by co-sponsors Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Congresswoman Lisa McClain.
MOBILE, Ala. –The final U.S. Navy Expeditionary Fast Transport Ship – future USNS Lansing (EPF 16) – was christened at a ceremony today at Austal USA’s Mobile, Ala. ship manufacturing facility. The christening marks a major milestone in the Spearhead-class EPF program, which has delivered vital high-speed, shallow-draft transport capability to the U.S. Navy and Military Sealift Command. Since the inception of the EPF program, Austal USA has built and delivered a fleet of fast transport vessels that provide agile intra-theater personnel and cargo movement, rapid response support, and enhanced operational flexibility around the globe.
This christening event was unique in that two sponsors christened the ship; The Honorable Gretchen Whitmer, Governor of Michigan, and The Honorable Lisa McClain, U.S. Representative serving Michigan’s 9th District broke bottles of champagne simultaneously on the bow of the ship after which they jointly exclaimed, “For the United States of America, I christen thee Lansing. May God bless this ship and all who sail in her!”…