The future USNS Lucy Stone, the fifth ship in the fleet oiler program for the U.S. Navy, was christened Saturday at General Dynamics NASSCO in San Diego.
Guests at the launch included Carlos Del Toro, Secretary of the Navy, Meredith Berger, Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Vice Admiral Jeffrey T. Jablon, the deputy chief of Naval Operations for Installations and Logistics, and David J. Carver, president of General Dynamics NASSCO.
The sponsors, Alicia Aadnesen and Debbie Simmons, christened the ship with the traditional breaking of a bottle of champagne on the bow.
Fleet oilers serve as a supply lifeline for U.S. Navy vessels carrying out missions in the Western Pacific, Indian Ocean and beyond.
Crafted for replenishment while underway, the oilers transfer fuel, lubricants, fresh water and small amounts of dry cargo as part of the Navy’s combat logistics force. NASSCO is designing the new vessels with double hulls to protect against oil spills with strengthened cargo and ballast tanks.
The vessels, part of the Navy’s John Lewis-class fleet oiler program, will be operated by the Navy’s Military Sealift Command. The oilers measure 742-feet with full-load displacement of 49,850 tons.
Suffragist Lucy Stone, joined other notable advocates such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, to petition for suffrage and abolition in the 19th century. Her efforts as a founder of the Women’s National Loyal League were essential to the passage of the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery.
Aadnesen called it fitting that “this beautiful ship that will bring strength and sustenance to the Navy’s fleet” bears Stone’s name.
