Austal USA celebrated the keel laying of the future USNS Cody (EPF 14) at its ship manufacturing facility in Mobile, Ala., on Jan. 26. Cody is a Spearhead class Expeditionary Fast Transport (EPF), one of 15 the Navy has contracted Austal to build. The ship is the first Navy ship named for the city of Cody, Wyo. A keel laying ceremony is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. At Austal USA, the keel laying symbolically recognizes module erection in final assembly and the ceremonial beginning of a ship. The ship's sponsor is Avril Spencer, founder and executive director of Launch gURLs, a non-profit that aims to close the gender gap in economic opportunities through entrepreneurship programming for adolescent girls. At the keel laying, Spencer welded her initials onto a metal plate that will be installed in the ship. (Source: Work Boat 01/26/22)
No comments:
Post a Comment