PASCAGOULA, Miss. (AP) - A new guided missile destroyer built on the Mississippi coast is set to be commissioned this month in South Carolina.
The Sun-Herald reports that the USS Ralph Johnson began its journey Friday from Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula. It is to be commissioned into the Navy on March 24 in Charleston.
The ship is named after a Medal of Honor recipient - Marine Pfc. Ralph Henry Johnson. The 19-year-old died during combat in the Vietnam War when he threw his body over a grenade, absorbing the full impact of the blast and saving his fellow Marines. He died instantly and was posthumously honored by President Richard Nixon in 1970.
Following commissioning, the ship’s homeport will be in Everett, Washington.
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Information from: The Sun Herald, http://www.sunherald.com
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