The mother of a fallen Navy SEAL killed in action in Iraq christened the second of the Navy’s new class of advanced guided missile destroyers on Saturday.
The 15,000-ton ship was named for her son, Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Monsoor, who was killed in an act of self-sacrifice by covering an enemy’s grenade with his body to save the lives of two of his fellow SEALs.
Mansoor, 25, died in 2006 and was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously.
“May God bless this ship, and all who sail within her,” said Sally Monsoor before smashing a bottle against the ship’s hulking mass.
Two thousand people were gathered at the Bath Iron ship works in Maine to witness the christening.
The Zumwalt class ship is the Navy’s biggest and most technologically advanced class of destroyer. It is the first new class of warship to be built at the Bath Iron Works in Maine in over 25 years. The ship is typically referred to as the “stealth” destroyer, similar to stealth warplanes that cannot be seen on radar.
Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine spoke at the ceremony, calling the Zumwalt class of destroyers “the most advanced naval destroyer the world has ever seen,” saying the ship was a tribute to Michael Monsoor’s sacrifice.
“His legacy will live on as this great ship conducts its mission in defense of our nation,” she said.
