Massachusetts First Lady Christens US Navy Ship In Alabama
BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts' first lady Diane Patrick has helped christen a new Navy vessel in Alabama.
Gov. Deval Patrick joined his wife Saturday to help send off the USNS Fall River.
Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said the ship represents the physical embodiment of the city of Fall River's patriotic spirit.
Fall River is also the home of the Battleship Cove, the state's naval war memorial with the country's largest collection of preserved World War II-era vessels.
The USNS Fall River is a joint high-speed vessel that can be used for the transportation of troops, military equipment and vehicles.
It's also the second Navy ship to be named after the Massachusetts city.
The first — the USS Fall River— was a Baltimore class heavy cruiser commissioned in 1945 and used largely on training missions.
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