The Gabby: Navy to commission USS Gabrielle Giffords

[DonViejo]

Source: Associated Press

MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — A naval program that has become a target for critics is preparing to commission a new vessel named after a well-known shooting survivor.

The USS Gabrielle Giffords, constructed by Austal USA in Mobile, Alabama, has completed testing in the Gulf of Mexico and is scheduled to be commissioned in mid-2017. The company handed over the $475 million ship to the Navy on Friday.

Giffords, the former Arizona congresswoman who was shot in the head during an assassination attempt in 2011, helped christen the ship in 2015. It’s part of a hotly debated program that congressional critics slam as flawed and too expensive but that Navy leaders defend as a critical new step in naval warfighting.

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.

Read more: http://www.salon.com/2016/12/27/the-gabby-navy-to-commission-uss-gabrielle-giffords/

[Gothmog]

1. This makes me smile

[malthaussen]

2. I guess I'm old-fashioned.

I don't think ships should be named after persons still living. And I rather dislike ships being named after politicians, however revered. We already have a USS Ronald Regan and a USS Gerald Ford. Looking forward to a USS Donald Trump or a USS Newt Gingrich?

-- Mal

[LanternWaste]

3. At least five combat ships were named after Pres Washington while he was still alive

It's been standard since 1974. At least five combat ships were named after Pres Washington while he was still yet alive, one after Jefferson, three named after Madison, and two after Hancock during their lifetimes (various gunboats, schooners and frigates).

A name is little more than a mere name.

[jmowreader]

7. It's not possible to name a suitable ship for either Trump or Gingrich

The Navy has no garbage scows in its fleet and it's not about to get any.

[razorman03038]

8. There are also the USS George H. W. Bush and the USS Jimmy Carter, both

christened while their namesakes are still alive. Several other ships named after dead politicians, too.

[question everything]

4. Oh, to have a bit of good news (nt)

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

5. Littoral-class ship

[razorman03038]

9. The word I get from former navy shipmates is that the new LCS ships suck.

Reports of thin hulls and constant breakdowns are not helping the reputation of this class of ship. Supposedly, many sailors consider these ships to be "floating soda cans". I suppose they look cool, though.

[The River]

10. They Don't Even Look Cool

Looks more like an Imperial Star Cruiser stranded in a bathtub.
Having served on a WW2 era carrier I have a bias for real ships of the line.

[AtheistCrusader]

11. Can't take a hit.

Which is a doubly unjust choice of ship to affix her name, given the toughness it takes to survive that attack, and still stand and speak about issues with her own voice.

[Paladin]

6. Trump will probably want a USS Ted Nugent, in response. (nt)