The future USS Anchorage (LPD 23) launched Feb. 12 from Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding's Avondale, La., shipyard, marking a key milestone in the ship's construction process. Due to extensive pre-outfitting efforts, Anchorage will be the most complete ship in the class at the time of launch. "We started construction on the first ship of the LPD 17 class 11 years ago." said Jay Stefany, LPD 17 program manager for the Navy's Program Executive Office (PEO) Ships. Anchorage is the seventh ship of the San Antonio-class of landing platform docks and is named for the largest city in Alaska. The ship's sponsor is Annette Conway, wife of U.S. Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Conway. She will christen the ship this May in a traditional Navy ceremony.