Sailors assigned to the weapons department fire a 40-mm saluting battery aboard the amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) in honor of Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus’ arrival at America’s commissioning ceremony.
America is the first ship of its class and the fourth to bear the name.
It replaces the Tarawa-class of amphibious assault ships as the next generation “big-deck” amphibious assault ship and is optimized for aviation and capable of supporting current and future aircraft such as the MV-22 Osprey and F-35B Joint Strike Fighter.
[mappress] Press Release, October 13, 2014; Image: U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Vladimir Ramos