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Video by Petty Officer 1st Class Lowell Whitman

USNS Montford Point Christening

Navy Public Affairs Support Element West

March 2, 2013 | 01:20:29

Speaking at the ceremony will be dignitaries from the United States Navy, including the Secretary of the Navy, as well as Fred Harris, president of General Dynamics NASSCO, and the Commandant of the Marine Corps. General James F. Amos. The ceremony will culminate in the ship's sponsor, Mrs. Jackie Bolden, ceremonially naming the ship by breaking the traditional bottle of champagne against its hull.
Named in honor of the Montford Point Marines who trained at the camp during the 1940’s, USNS Montford Point is the first ship of the class. The MLP is a flexible platform that will provide capability for large scale logistics movements such as the transfer of vehicles and equipment from sea to shore. It will significantly reduce dependency on foreign ports and provide support in the absence of any port, making it especially useful during disaster response and for supporting Marines once they are ashore.