The widow of the late civil rights leader Medgar Evers will christen the U.S. Navy's newest resupply ship, the USNS Medgar Evers , during a ceremony in San Diego this Saturday at the General Dynamics NASSCO shipyard.
Myrlie Evers-Williams, former chairman of the NAACP and the widow of Medgar Evers, will name the ship by breaking a bottle of champagne against its hull during a traditional christening ceremony. Medgar Evers was an African American civil rights pioneer and World War II veteran. He rose to national prominence through his work to fight segregation and extend voting rights to all Americans. Medgar Evers was assassinated on June 12, 1963.
Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus will be the ceremony's principal speaker. The 689-foot-long USNS Medgar Evers is the 13th ship of the T-AKE class of dry cargo-ammunition ships that NASSCO is building for the Navy. Its primary mission will be to deliver more than 10,000 tons of food, ammunition, fuel and other provisions to Navy combat ships at sea. The christening ceremony for the USNS Medgar Evers will begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 12, 2011, at the General Dynamics NASSCO shipyard. The event is free and open to the public. The main gate, which is located at 28th Street and East Harbor Drive, will open at 8 a.m.
General Dynamics NASSCO, a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), employs 3,850 people. In addition to T-AKE construction, the San Diego shipyard is also building the first of three Mobile Landing Platform ships for the U.S. Navy. The christening ceremony will be broadcast live at www.nassco.com. Ship photos and more information about NASSCO can also be found on this website.