USS Tripoli Officially Named

Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus formally named USS Tripoli (LHA 7) May 30 during an evening parade hosted by Commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. James F. Amos at Marine Barracks Washington.

“It is a unique evening here at Eighth and I. We are officially naming the next big-deck amphibious ship, the USS Tripoli, LHA 7,” said Mabus. “The proud heritage of this name will remind all who come in contact with her of the Marines’ storied history, strong present and noble future.”

Mabus introduced the ship’s sponsor, Lynne Mabus, during the ceremony and she spoke about what it means to be a part of the life of USS Tripoli, the third Navy ship to bear the name.

“I feel especially glad to be the sponsor of the Tripoli,” said Mrs. Mabus, “because of so many things that are close to my family and my heart,” she added. “She will be built at Huntington Ingalls in Pascagoula, Mississippi. It is at this shipyard that my grandfather worked for decades and where my grandmother was a real life Rosie the Riveter during World War II.”

The Tripoli name commemorates the capture of Derna, Lybia in 1805 by a small force of U.S. Marines and approximately 370 Soldiers from 11 other nationalities. The battle, later memorialized in the Marines’ Hymn with the line “to the shores of Tripoli”, brought about a successful conclusion to the combined operations of the First Barbary War.

The Secretary and Mrs. Mabus concluded the ceremony by watching the Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon perform during the Friday Evening Parade at Marine Barracks Washington, D.C.

[mappress]
Press Release, June 03, 2014; Image: US Navy