FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 28, 2004
CONTACT: Kevin Schweers
SENATOR HUTCHISON ANNOUNCES USS SAN ANTONIO COMMISSIONING AT INGLESIDE
CORPUS CHRISTI, TX -- At a press conference today in Corpus Christi, U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) announced she will participate in the USS San Antonio (LPD 17) commissioning ceremony at Naval Station Ingleside next year.
“As the ship’s sponsor, I asked the Navy to pick a site in Texas for the commissioning. I am pleased we will bring this incredible new ship to Naval Station Ingleside,” Sen. Hutchison said. “The Navy’s decision to commission the ship at Naval Station Ingleside reflects the Navy’s commitment to Corpus Christi and surrounding cities, as well as the strong support these communities give their local naval installations. I know the entire region will come together to make this ceremony a success and all Texans will be proud of their work to honor the USS San Antonio and her crew.”
“I am honored to be the sponsor of the USS San Antonio. As the most advanced amphibious assault ship ever built, the USS San Antonio will help ensure our sailors have the equipment and the technology necessary to successfully complete their mission and return home safely,” said Sen. Hutchison, Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Military Construction Subcommittee. “I was proud to christen this mighty vessel and I look forward to participating in the commissioning, as she begins her journey to make our nation a safer place.”
The USS San Antonio is the first of 12 planned amphibious assault ships in this class and will replace the older LPD 4 class. This entire class of new ships will now be referred to as the San Antonio class. The LPD 17, christened by Sen. Hutchison in July 2003, will hold 361 officers and crew and can accommodate up to 800 troops. The ship will help ensure the Navy and Marine Corps have the naval expeditionary forces – ships, aircraft, weapons, and systems – to conduct a range of missions around the globe.
Officials and community members attending the press conference included Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Manpower and Reserve Affairs William “Bill” Navas; Naval Station Ingleside Commanding Officer Capt. Patricia Jackson; Captain of USS San Antonio Commander John Padfield; USS San Antonio Commissioning Chair Tres Kleberg; members of the Ingleside and Corpus Christi Chambers of Commerce and city officials.
At the commissioning ceremony next year, Sen. Hutchison will be accompanied by four matrons of honor, an honorary position typically bestowed upon a mother, daughter, sister, aunt or friend of the sponsor. The honoree attends all christening events with the sponsor and serves as a backup should she be unable to fulfill her official duties. Sen. Hutchison has chosen Peggy Carr and Trisha Wilson of Dallas and Cathy Obriotti Green and Susan Reed of San Antonio.
In keeping with the rich tradition of naming ships after U.S. cities, Secretary of the Navy John H. Dalton named the first of the new ships after the city of San Antonio, the site of the battle of the Alamo that became the rallying cry for Texas’ heroic struggle for independence from Mexico in 1836.
The 300 year-old tradition of commissioning a ship marks her entry into active Navy service. When the commissioning pennant is broken at the masthead, the ship takes her place alongside the other active ships of the Fleet. The Navy has not yet announced the official commissioning date, but it will be in the spring.
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