The USS Gabrielle Giffords, an Independence-class littoral combat class warship, left Mobile, Alabama, from Austal's ship manufacturing facility Monday.
Named for ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥'s Giffords, the ship will be commissioned, June 10, in Galveston,Texas, according to Austral USA, the ship's manufacturer. It was christened in June 13, 2015.
( 10) sailed away from Austal's ship manufacturing facility today. She'll be commissioned, Jun 10, in Galveston,TX
— Austal USA (@Austal_USA)
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The 421-foot-long Giffords will be the ninth in a series of high-speed vessels designed to navigate in shallow coastal regions known as littoral waters. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., has cited the $12.4 billion spent for 26 littoral combat ships as the worst example of wasteful Pentagon spending.
The ship’s name also has been a target for conservatives who see it as promoting stricter gun laws, a cause Giffords has promoted. Some critics lampooned the ship as being gun-free, a bit of parody and fake news that was debunked on .
The Navy said it chose to name the ship in honor of Giffords because of the perseverance she showed after the shooting.
“Courage comes in many, many forms — physical, mental, spiritual and political. Gabby has truly modeled courage and resilience,†Vice Adm. Philip Cullom said at the christening ceremony.
Constructed from aluminum and featuring a distinctive trimaran design, the Giffords is armed with missiles, machine guns and fast-firing weapons designed to hit a variety of targets. Its normal crew of 40 sailors and officers can be supplemented as needed for missions.
A sister ship of the Giffords, the USS Montgomery, sustained hull damage in October while navigating the Panama Canal. The same ship was damaged in a collision with a tugboat weeks before.
