General Dynamics NASSCO held a keel-laying ceremony for the fourth ship in the U.S. Navy’s T-AKE program. The ship is named USNS Richard E. Byrd in honor of the U.S. Navy admiral who explored the South Pole and Antarctica. It will be part of the Lewis and Clark-class of dry cargo-ammunition ships. Debbie Hamilton, the wife of Rear Adm. Charles Hamilton II, the Navy’s Program Executive Officer for Ships, was the honoree for the event and welded her initials into the keel. The Richard E. Byrd is scheduled to be delivered to the Navy in the fourth quarter of 2007. At the ceremony, Rear Adm. Hamilton announced Secretary of the Navy Donald Winter’s decision to name T-AKE 4 after the famed South Pole explorer and to name the fifth ship of the class the USNS Robert E. Peary.