The fifth in a series of unusual Navy ships that are effectively floating Marine bases was christened over the weekend at the NASSCO shipyard in Barrio Logan.
The future USS Robert E. Simanek is 785 feet in length, 90,000 tons fully loaded, with a 52,500-square-foot flight deck that can support four helicopters or tiltrotors simultaneously landing and taking off.
The Navy describes the ship as “a versatile and reliable forward-deployed staging platform for Marine Corps airborne mine counter measures, special operations forces, security teams, unmanned systems and other embarking units through all phases of armed conflict.”
The name of the warship honors a Marine Corps hero who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in the Battle of Bunker Hill in August 1952 during the Korean War.
Simanek’s daughter, Ann Simanek Clark, christened the ship on Saturday by breaking a ceremonial bottle of champagne over the bow.
A sixth vessel in the expeditionary sea base series is under construction at NASSCO.