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Manuel Balce Ceneta / AP
Former Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and her husband Mark Kelly, attend a ceremony at the Pentagon, Friday, Feb. 10, for the unveiling of the USS Gabrielle Giffords.
The Navy on Friday named its newest combat ship after former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who attended the Pentagon event with the mother of a 9-year-old girl slain in the Tucson shooting rampage that left Giffords gravely wounded.
The 3,000-ton ship, known as an Independence Variant Littoral, will be built in Mobile, Ala., by Austal shipbuilding, as part of the Navy’s strategy to provide access and dominance in coastal waters, according to NBC News.
Navy Secretary Ray Mabus made the announcement before a gathering at the Pentagon’s Center Courtyard. "It's a major part of the future of our Navy," he said about the vessel, which measures 419 feet in length and can travel in excess of 40 knots. "She's going to provide our Navy and country with fast and flexible capability ... this ship can perform an amazing variety of missions."
Mabus said courage has defined the Navy since it's inception, so it made sense to name the ship after someone "who has become synonymous with courage."
Giffords, a Democrat, resigned from Congress last month to focus on her recovery from a gunshot wound to the head after a gunman opened fire in January 2011 with a semiautomatic pistol on a crowd gathered outside a Tucson supermarket for a Congress-on-your-Corner event. Six people were killed and 13 people, including Giffords, were wounded.
Since then, Giffords has been undergoing intensive rehabilitation in Houston.
Charged in the shooting is Jared Loughner, who is undergoing psychiatric treatment at a federal prison in Missouri in an effort to restore his mental competency so he can stand trial.
Christina Green, an elementary school student, was attending the event with a neighbor when she was gunned down. The elementary school student was born on Sept. 11, 2001, and had been featured in a book about children from the 50 states born on that day.
At the Pentagon, Mabus named Green's mother, Roxanna Green, as the sponsor of the new ship, which will be in service for three decades once completed.
Earlier on Friday, Giffords was at the White House as President Barack Obama signed into law the legislation she authored that will increase the penalties for using ultralight aircraft when smuggling drugs into the country.
"I'm confident that, while this legislation may have been her last act as a congresswoman, it will not be her last act of public service," Obama said in a statement released by the White House.
More content from msnbc.com and NBC News
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Why is it when someone is hurt and lives they call them heros? Did she dive on top of someone? This is an insult to all the troops killed in battle! Her husband is more of a hero than she is!
What a classy thing for the Navy to do. What an honor.
I hope this little combat ship kicks butt in the next war, maybe Spring?
Bob Hope did more for the troops than anyone. He deserves a ship named after him
Amen Brother!
No monument, navy ship, or public building should be named after a living person. Similarly, no place or landmark should be renamed.
Drip & Drop
Where were you in the 1780-1800 period when we named the nation's captal city after the same man who was president? And constructed a statue of him as a Roman god. which sat in the Capitol building until 1910? And painted him as a god on the ceiling of the same building. All done or planned while he was still alive. Did he die? Did he lose fingers or toes to frostbite? Was he wounded?
And yet, you have no problem with the USS George Washington.
Even her husband has a "are you kidding me?" look
This is outrageous. First Obama is awarded the Nobel Peace prize, now this. A no name politician rocketed to fame by a gunshot wound to the head (one incident) not by her accomplishments as a politician or sacrifice to this country. Had she not been shot she would have never been considered for such an honor. This Government is pathetic. There many people who have died for our freedoms that are more deserving. What's next, the USS Barney Franks?
What a nice way to pay homage to such a courageous woman. Well done NAVY!
Perhaps they can name another ship down the road, after little Christina-Taylor Green. The little girl who was Born 911, and died during an excursion to be part of the process. She wanted so much to help people and serve her country. A future Gabby Gifford's cut down before she even had a chance. She also deserves to be remembered, and it would make a great name for a Ship. And it would be a fantastic way to honor her memory.
USS Christina-Taylor Green What a great name for a ship.
All the right wing trolls bashing this make me sick... The mods should Ban-hammer them ALL. They never have a good thing to say about anything, and only serve to stink up the place. Disgusting doesnt even come close to describing them.
Our space program is alive and well!
I'm amazed that people seem annoyed that this woman survived an assassination attempt and now the U.S. Navy plans to name a ship after her. You all may be glad to hear that the U.S. Navy may not even be able to afford to build the ship. I do agree that a better name for the ship would be the USS Christina Green but I don't see anything wrong with naming the ship after Gabrielle Giffords.
It's a military thing. I doubt you would understand.
I totally disagree with this regardless of how many times it has been done! Doing something wrong continuously only means that you "continue" to do it wrong! Her husband is a retired Navy Captain and she was shot by a crazed lunatic with political problems and a serious weed up his arse as it were, does not make you a hero nor is it, in my opinion, worthy of naming a ship after someone! My heart goes out to those who died, and of course to Ms Giffords, as I have always admired her as well as being a fellow Democrat by politics and a "liberal" by the grace of God.
Her shooting was a senseless act of violence committed by a man who should have been committed! She was not on a worldwide or world-wind tour of the country standing up for the rights of the misrepresented and was shot for that reason! She became famous in this form because she LIVED! If a ship bearing the name of someone involved in that incident had to be done, I think it would have been more appropriate that it would be named after someone who was killed, perhaps the young girl.
I think it was premature to name a ship after Giffords. I can appreciate what she has been through but the war in Iraq and Afghanistan has many Wounded Warriors who have been through the same and more.
All politicians are ego maniacs - there is no way any politician would decline having their name on a ship.
I completely agree that she is tough but the average person on the street would not have received the level of medical expertise that she did and most likely would not have survived for that reason alone.
I feel embarrassed for this woman. She was a victim of circumstance, how does that make her a hero?
Gabrielle Giffords - 1
Sarah Palin - 0
No class
Hey VoxDei, Palin's bank account is much deeper than Giffords. Care to go to the scoreboard? Idiot
You Go Girl! And your old man, I still can't figure how you can/could fly/land a brick/rock. Well done!!!
No kidding, a controlled crash is about all you can call a shuttle landing. lol
So many have done so much more! Just because she's a media darling doesn't mean she deserves this honor. Naming our vessels after the fallen soldiers in the middle Eastern wars would make more sense.
Anyone who takes a bullit for their country deserves to be recognized (even Democrats there Fox News!). Our parade deck on my base is named after a Lance Corporal who died for his country. In this case one who was shot in a parking lot at a shopping center here in the good ol' USA. - Mike Mather, USMC retired
How did she take a bullet for her country? She wasn't in battle, charging the enemy! She was out promoting herself so she could get re-elected.
Yes, it was tragic. Yes, she is tough to have made it through. But she didn't knowingly put herself in harms way .. that's a hero.
That Marine you mentioned does deserve recognition because like all Marines, he signed up knowing he may be called upon to pay the ultimate price. That doesn't apply to members of congress.
Politicians put themselves at risk every single time the are out in public. And they dont call it public service for nothing. She was conducting a congress on the corner where she could talk to, and listen to, the people she represents.
They were going to name it the USS Obama but they were afraid it would just sit around for 4 years and then sink! LOL
Perfect!!!!
This is a joke right?
This woman has been used as a prop for gun control since this awful thing happened to her, her retirement was timed to coincide with Obamas state of the union address to get more mileage out of her tragedy and now this. Not to mention that this incident has also been used to bash the tea party, which the head of the DNC is doing presently, even though the nut who did the shooting was to the left politically. Her partys' exploitation of her misfortune is despicable. What happened to her is terrible, but, she did not do anything to deserve this honor, this should be reserved for someone who has made a real accomplishment, instead of being in the wrong place at the wrong time
She's just being pimped by the Dems and Libs.
Amazing it's either the right is racist because they didn't vote for Obama, and now they are disgusting because one disagrees with naming this ship after a "POLITICIAN FROM THE LEFT". OH, wait that's why the LEFT are defending it. If it was named "USS John McCain we would not hear the end of it. Go get your free Obama food stamps and be thankful someone is helping you eat.
No its the snotty hateful remarks. Not the people who respectfully disagree.. Its not what you say, but how you say it.
Quite frankly I am sick of hearing about her. There are many soldiers protecting our freedom that don't get the recognition. My nephew is in Afghanistan, another nephew at the Pentagon, and a son in law in South Korea on duty. These are the people who deserve recognition! Not some progressive Politician, that was shot by a wack job.
Ok folks- so read this- it tells how ships are named......and learn:
Ship Naming in the United States Navy
act of the Continental Congress authorized the first ship of a new navy for the
United Colonies, as they were then known. The ships of the Continental Navy, and
of the Navy later established under the Federal Constitution, were not named in
any strictly categorical manner.
navy came from a variety of sources. As if to emphasize the ties that many
Americans still felt to Britain, the first ship of the new Continental Navy was
named Alfred in honor of Alfred the Great, the king of Wessex who is
credited with building the first English naval force. Another ship was named
Raleigh to commemorate the seagoing exploits of Sir Walter Raleigh. Some
ships honored early patriots and heroes (Hancock and General
Greene). Others commemorated the young nation's ideals and institutions
(Constitution, Independence, Congress). A 74-gun
ship-of-the-line, launched in 1782 and donated to the French Navy on completion,
was named America. A Revolutionary War frigate named Bourbon
saluted the King of France, whose alliance would further the cause of American
independence. Other ship names honored American places (Boston,
Virginia). Small warships-- brigs and schooners--bore a variety of names.
Some were named for positive character traits (Enterprise,
Diligent). Others had classical names (Syren, Argus) or
names of small creatures with a potent sting (Hornet,
Wasp).
responsibility for assigning names to the Navy's ships in the hands of the
Secretary of the Navy, a prerogative which he still exercises. This act stated
that "all of the ships, of the Navy of the United States, now building, or
hereafter to be built, shall be named by the Secretary of the Navy, under the
direction of the President of the United States, according to the following
rule, to wit: those of the first class shall be called after the States of this
Union; those of the second class after the rivers; and those of the third class
after the principal cities and towns; taking care that no two vessels of the
navy shall bear the same name." The last-cited provision remains in the United
States Code today.
"steamship" in the ship type nomenclature, and officially defined the "classes"
of ships in terms of the number of their guns. Ships armed with 40 guns or more
were of the "first class"; those carrying fewer than 40, but more than 20, guns
were of the "second class." The name source for the second class was expanded to
include the principal towns as well as rivers. The unprecedented expansion of
the fleet during the Civil War was reflected--as far as ship naming was
concerned--in an act of 5 August 1861, which authorized the Secretary of the
Navy "to change the names of any vessels purchased for use of the Navy
Department..." This provision also remains in current law.
was changed to reflect the remarkable changes taking place in the Navy itself as
wooden hulls, sails, and muzzleloading ordnance gave way to steel ships with
breechloading rifles. An act of May 4, 1898, specified that "all first-class
battleships and monitors [shallow-draft coast-defense ships completed between
1891 and 1903, armed with heavy guns] shall be named for the States, and shall
not be named for any city, place, or person, until the names of the States have
been exhausted, provided that nothing herein contained shall be construed as to
interfere with the names of states already assigned to any such battleship or
monitor."
involved in Navy ship naming are as much, if not more, products of evolution and
tradition than of legislation. As we have seen, the names for new ships are
personally decided by the Secretary of the Navy. The Secretary can rely on many
sources to help him reach his decisions. Each year, the Naval Historical Center
compiles primary and alternate ship name recommendations and forwards these to
the Chief of Naval Operations by way of the chain of command. These
recommendations are the result of research into the history of the Navy and by
suggestions submitted by service members, Navy veterans, and the public. Ship
name source records at the Historical Center reflect the wide variety of name
sources that have been used in the past, particularly since World War I. Ship
name recommendations are conditioned by such factors as the name categories for
ship types now being built, as approved by the Secretary of the Navy; the
distribution of geographic names of ships of the Fleet; names borne by previous
ships which distinguished themselves in service; names recommended by
individuals and groups; and names of naval leaders, national figures, and
deceased members of the Navy and Marine Corps who have been honored for heroism
in war or for extraordinary achievement in peace.
levels of command, the Chief of Naval Operations signs the memorandum
recommending names for the current year's building program and sends it to the
Secretary of the Navy. The Secretary considers these nominations, along with
others he receives as well as his own thoughts in this matter. At appropriate
times, he selects names for specific ships and announces them.
customarily done before the ship is christened. The ship's sponsor--the person
who will christen the ship--is also selected and invited by the Secretary. In
the case of ships named for individuals, an effort is made to identify the
eldest living direct female descendant of that individual to perform the role of
ship's sponsor. For ships with other name sources, it is customary to honor the
wives of senior naval officers or public officials.
its ships, like all institutions it has been subject to evolutionary change, and
the name sources of the Navy's ships have not been immune to this change. Thus,
an historical accounting of this evolution, as it appeared in modern times, may
help the reader understand the ship naming process as it exists today.
of in prewar times. More than 200 new ships were built, and another 418 were
purchased for naval use. Ironclads, including monitors, and shallow-draft river
steamers fell into new classification categories, and their naming reflected the
abrupt pace of growth. Names like Hartford and Brooklyn,
Ticonderoga and Monongahela mingled with Trefoil, Stars
and Stripes, Penguin, and Western World. Many ships, including
gunboats and monitors, bore names of American Indian origin, such as
Owasco, Sagamore, Saugus, and Onondaga. Four big
monitors, laid down but never completed, were given such tongue-twisters as
Shackamaxon and Quinsigamond. A large oceangoing ironclad was,
fittingly enough, named New Ironsides. Ships acquired for Navy use were
known by such strange names as Hunchback, Midnight, and
Switzerland. In 1869 one Secretary of the Navy, who disliked the Indian
names borne by so many Navy ships, renamed a large number of them, substituting
names from classical antiquity such as Centaur, Medusa,
Goliath, and Atlas. A few months later, his successor changed most
of the names back again!
would mature into the fleet of the 20th century, took form the Navy's new ships
were named in accordance with what evolved into a new system, tailored to the
new ship types now developing. There came to be--then, as now--some duplication
in use of name sources for different ship types. Names of states, for example,
were borne by battleships; by armored cruisers (large, fast warships as big as,
or bigger than, contemporary battleships but more lightly protected and armed
with cruiser-caliber guns), and monitors (small coast-defense ships armed with
heavy guns). As battleship construction went on through the early 1900s, state
names began to run short. The law stated that battleships had to bear state
names; to comply with this, monitors and armored cruisers were renamed for
cities within their respective name states to free the names of their states for
assignment to new battleships. The monitors Florida and Nevada,
for instance, became Tallahassee and Tonopah, while the armored
cruisers Maryland and West Virginia became Frederick and
Huntington. By 1920, state names were the sole preserve of
battleships.
Kearsarge ran aground in the Caribbean and had to be written off as
unsalvageable. There was so much affection for that ship in the Fleet that the
Secretary of the Navy asked Congress to permit her name to be perpetuated by a
new battleship. This was done, and Kearsarge (Battleship Number 5) became
the only American battleship not to be named for a state.
destroyers--evolving from the steam torpedo boats built around the turn of the
century--came to be named for American naval leaders and heroes, as today's
destroyers are still named. Submarines began to enter the Fleet in 1900. The
first was named Holland in honor of John Holland, submarine designer and
builder. Later submarines were, at first, given such names as Grampus,
Salmon, and Porpoise, but were also named for venomous and
stinging creatures, such as Adder, Tarantula, and Viper.
Submarines were renamed in 1911, however, and carried alpha- numeric names such
as A-1, C-1, H-3, L-7, and the like until 1931, when
"fish and denizens of the deep" once more became their name source. In 1931,
existing ships were not renamed.
construction, principally in destroyers and submarines, to protect a massive
sealift effort--the "bridge of ships"--across the Atlantic to Europe.
Additionally, the development of mine warfare necessitated the introduction of a
new type of ship, the minesweeper. A new type of ship required a new name
source. The then-Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Franklin D. Roosevelt, took a
keen interest in amateur ornithology. This led him to select bird names as the
name source for these new ships, and "F.D.R." signed the General Order assigning
names to the first 36 ships of the Lapwing class. The ships that bore
these colorful names served as the backbone of the Navy's mine force for the
next quarter century; many earned honors in World War II.
carriers came into service. Our first carrier, converted from the collier
Jupiter, was Langley (CV 1), named in honor of aviation pioneer
Samuel Pierpont Langley. Our next two carriers were built on the unfinished
hulls of battle cruisers, two of a canceled class of six fast capital ships
which had already been assigned the names of American battles and famous former
Navy ships. These new carriers kept their original names, Lexington and
Saratoga. The original battle-cruiser name source continued as
Ranger, Yorktown, Enterprise, Wasp, and
Hornet entered service between 1934 and 1941, and was carried on through
World War II and into the postwar years.
programs began to include new types of ships, these required new name sources;
others required a modification of existing name sources to meet a perceived
shortage of "appropriate" names. Minesweepers were now being built and converted
in large numbers. Perhaps fearing an exhaustion of suitable bird names, the Navy
also used "general word classification" names such as Adept, Bold,
and Agile, for new sweepers. This began a dual naming tradition that
extended beyond World War II. Modern mine countermeasures ships are intended to
detect and destroy all types of mines; they bear such names as Avenger,
Guardian, and Dextrous. Coastal minehunters, similar in concept
but designed for use in coastal waters, carry bird names (Osprey,
Raven). Some hundreds of small seagoing minesweepers, built during World
War II, were at first known only by their hull numbers. After the war, those
remaining in the Fleet were reclassified and given bird names; thus, the wartime
YMS 311 became Robin (AMS 53).
name source of its "parent" ship type, the destroyer. Most of these
mass-produced antisubmarine patrol and escort ships were named in honor of
members of the naval service killed in action in World War II. Some were named
for destroyers lost in the early stages of that war.
their names reassigned to new construction. Names like Lexington,
Yorktown, Atlanta, Houston, Triton and Shark
were perpetuated in memory of lost ships and gallant crews. Unique among these
names bestowed in honor of lost ships was Canberra, assigned to a heavy
cruiser in honor of the Australian cruiser Canberra, sunk while operating
with American warships during the Battle of Savo Island in August 1942. This was
seen to be an appropriate exception to the custom of naming cruisers for
American cities.
again assigned to aircraft carriers. A small fleet carrier (CVL 49), converted
from a cruiser hull, was named Wright in honor of the Wright brothers,
while a large aircraft carrier (CVB 42) of the Midway class was named
Franklin D. Roosevelt soon after the President's death in the spring of
1945. That name was suggested to then-President Harry S. Truman by Secretary of
the Navy James Forrestal, who would himself later be honored in the naming of
our first "supercarrier," Forrestal (CVA 59). Franklin D.
Roosevelt was the first aircraft carrier to be named for an American
statesman; Franklin and Hancock, wartime Essex-class fleet
carriers, honored the former Navy ships of those names and not, as many think,
the statesmen themselves. A new Langley (CVL 27) honored our first
aircraft carrier, lost in the opening months of war in the Pacific.
navies, assumed major importance in World War II. An entirely new "family" of
ships and craft was developed for the massive landing operations in Europe and
the Pacific. Many types of landing ships did not receive "word" names, but were
simply known by their hull numbers (LST 806 and LCI(G) 580).
Attack cargo ships and attack transports carried landing craft to put cargo and
troops ashore on a beachhead. Many of these were named for American counties
(Alamance [AKA 75]; Hinsdale [APA 120]). Some early APAs,
converted from conventional troopships, kept their former names (Leonard
Wood, President Hayes); many AKAs were named for stars
(Achernar) or constellations (Cepheus). Dock landing ships,
seagoing ships with a large well deck for landing craft or vehicles, bore names
of historic sites (Gunston Hall, Rushmore). Modern LSDs are still
part of today's Fleet, and carry on this name source (Fort McHenry,
Pearl Harbor). After World War II the remaining tank landing ships (LST)
were given names of American counties; thus, the hitherto-unnamed LST 819
now became Hampshire County (LST 819).
fleet began to evolve much as it had after the Civil War. Old ship types left
the Navy's roster as new types emerged. Nuclear power and guided missiles
spurred much of this change. The first nuclear-powered guided-missile cruiser,
Long Beach, was the last cruiser to be named for a city in traditional
fashion.
were given state names and became the California and Virginia
classes. We had built no battleships since World War II, and these new ships
were seen to be, in a sense, their successors as the most powerful surface
warships afloat.
built to carry the Polaris strategic deterrent missile, began to go into
commission in the early 1960s. These were rightly regarded as ships without
precedent. Thus, a name source of their own was deemed appropriate. Our first
ballistic missile submarine was named George Washington, and the rest of
the "41 for freedom" bore the names of "famous Americans and others who
contributed to the growth of democracy." Some of these submarines were later
reclassified as conventional attack submarines under the Strategic Arms
Limitation Treaty (SALT) agreements. Though they lost their missile capability,
they continued to bear such names as Patrick Henry and Ethan
Allen. The newest Trident missile submarines of the Ohio class bear
state names, one of the name sources originally considered for the first Polaris
submarines. One of the class, Henry M. Jackson, honors a legislator who
had a strong share in shaping American defense programs.
named for sea creatures, though a few were named for such legislators as
Richard B. Russell and L. Mendel Rivers. Ships of the more recent
Los Angeles class bear the names of American cities. One exception,
Hyman G. Rickover, honors the man who has been called "the father of the
nuclear Navy." The new Seawolf class has departed from this scheme, with
Seawolf representing a "denizen of the deep" and Connecticut named
for the state; the third ship of the class has not yet been named.
such traditional carrier names as Ranger, Saratoga, and Coral
Sea and names of individuals. The first of these, as we have seen, was
Franklin D. Roosevelt, later followed by Forrestal and John F.
Kennedy. All the ships of the current Nimitz class bear the names of
such national figures as Theodore Roosevelt, George Washington,
and Ronald Reagan.
the newest class of guided missile cruisers. The first of these was
Ticonderoga; twenty later ships of this class honor actions fought from
the Revolution to World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. One ship is named Thomas
S. Gates for a statesman who served as Secretary of the Navy and Secretary
of Defense.
guided missile destroyers continue the tradition of honoring naval leaders and
heroes. There are the typical exceptions; Roosevelt (DDG 80) was named in
honor of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, while Winston Churchill honors
the great war leader of World War II. Some destroyers bear names of recent
heroes, while others carry on the traditions of distinguished former ships of
the same name.
Throughout its history it has depended on its auxiliary ships, a generic term
used in referring to the many different types of ships used to support the
Fleet. Auxiliary ship types are numerous and varied, and display many different
name sources. Submarine tenders, for instance, are "mother ships" to submarine
squadrons and bear the names of submarine pioneers (Simon Lake,
Hunley, Holland). Ammunition ship names are names of volcanoes or
words denoting fire and explosives (Suribachi, Pyro). Fleet tugs,
big seagoing ships capable of rescue and firefighting as well as towing, bear
American Indian names (Powhatan, Navajo), while salvage ships have
names indicating salvage (Safeguard, Grasp). Ocean surveying ships
have been named for individuals who distinguished themselves in ocean sciences
or exploration (Maury, Wilkes, Bowditch); the name of one,
Pathfinder, points to its role at sea. Oilers, large tankers fitted to
refuel other ships at sea, are named for rivers (Monongahela,
Patuxent) or for famous ship designers or builders (Joshua
Humphreys, Benjamin Isherwood). Fast combat support ships provide
fuel, ammunition, and other supplies to aircraft carrier battle groups. The
newest class of these ships honors the names of honored supply ships of former
years (Supply, Arctic).
safe to say that the evolutionary process of the past will continue; as the
Fleet itself changes, so will the names given to its ships. It seems equally
safe, however, to say that future decisions in this area will continue to
demonstrate regard for the rich history and valued traditions of the United
States Navy.
A Note on Navy Ship Name Prefixes
in official documents to identify a commissioned ship of the Navy. It applies to
a ship while she is in commission. Before commissioning, or after
decommissioning, she is referred to by name, with no prefix. Civilian-manned
ships of the Military Sealift Command (MSC) are not commissioned ships; their
status is "in service," rather than "in commission." They are, nonetheless, Navy
ships in active national service, and the prefix "USNS" (United States Naval
Ship) was adopted to identify them. Other Navy vessels classified as "in
service" are simply identified by their name (if any) and hull number, with no
prefix.
fixed form for Navy ship prefixes. Ships were rather haphazardly identified, in
correspondence or documents, by their naval type (U.S. Frigate ____), their rig
(United States Barque ____), or their function (United States Flag-Ship ______).
They might also identify themselves as "the Frigate _____," or, simply, "Ship
______." The term "United States Ship," abbreviated "USS," is seen as early as
the late 1790s; it was in frequent, but far from exclusive, use by the last half
of the 19th century.
order that established the present usage:
status of naval ships and craft:
The next ship will be named USS Barack Hussien Obama. Just give it time. POS
Yeah, it will sink after 4 years in service!
Keep dreaming Obama 2012, Gabby 2016. It will take a few years to get the conservative clown show going.
Yeah, we all know how well that Dumbocrat state of Caleefornia is doing financially don't we. Second worst in the nation! And then the Dumbocrats have the balls to ban beach balls, footballs, frisbees etc. from its beaches to prevent injuries. ROFLMFAO! You got to be kidding me? What freedom's are you going to continue to let your Libtard Gov. continue to take before you have to eventually get a pass to use the bathroom? Keep voting your rights away California! No wonder all the businesses have left.
WRONG!!! Don't get me wrong I'm sorry that Gifffords was shot, but to name one of our ships after her is wrong. What about naming the ship after the nine year old girl that lost her life during the same shooting rampage???
I Clearly remember the USS MIssouri BB63 WWII and Korean War Battle Veteran ..Looking for a home port after leaving Long Beach Ca......They steamed for San Francisco Bay to be a floating War Museum and tourist attraction BUT WAIT , Senators Boxer and Feinstein said NO-WAY Its a War Ship and we dont want it in San Francisco !! Guess the newly named Giffords would be out of luck in San Francisco , Surely Boxer and Feinstein would not change their minds for the sake of politics ?
WTF are you talking about?
Do the research and you'll find out! But I doubt a libtard from the land of fruits and nuts wants to be confused with the facts.
The sphincter sisters boxer and fienstien threw a tantrum and kept the USS Missouri Battleship from being docked in San Fransicko bay as a retired warship/museum. It ultimately went to Pearl Harbor HI were it is appreciated and rests in berth near the USS Arizona.
The only ships they welcome to san fran have to be filled with pot/illegals or both.
Azrancher --- Or gay sailors.
Now they are naming Navel ships after people who iwere njured by a psychotic killer. Where is the list? I have a few names I would like to add. Three victims on the list had their lives taken by a psycho who was found not guilty by reasons of insanity of his first set of murders & released by so call justice system. Well, their lives were just as important as the congress woman.
I like Congressman Giffords and have the up most respect for her. The trials she went through was horrific and her progress inspiring. That said, the naming of a Navy Vessel should be named for those who made incredible sacrifices in war or past presidents. Even though I am not a fan of Obama, it would be far more fitting to have a vessel named in his honor than her.
I wish her all the best and know that this is not something either she or her family requested and I pray for her speedy recovery.