USS Fort Worth Christening and Launch

I get to do a lot of cool things because of where I work.  This weekend might have been the coolest so far.  My boss, Rep. Kay Granger, was involved in an effort to get the Navy to name the next Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) after Fort Worth, TX.  Kay was the Mayor of Fort Worth before coming to Congress, and now represents Fort Worth and the surrounding area in the House of Representatives.  The ship's commissioning committee's site is here.

The effort was successful, and Kay was selected as the Sponsor of the USS Fort Worth.  This weekend, Kay christened the ship and it was launched in Marinette, WI (because that's where it was built).  I had the opportunity to travel with her and be there for all of the events.  Here are a few photos from the weekend.



With my colleagues Pete Courtney and Johnnie Kaberle on the flight deck of the USS Fort Worth




The USS Fort Worth early on the morning of the Christening




Kay breaking a bottle of champagne to christen the ship




Launching the ship




Another launch view

 I know what you're thinking.  Wouldn't it be much more awesome if Chelsey posted video of the launch instead of just photos?  Yes, yes it would.  And I don't like to disappoint my readers -- a group that, as far as I know, consists of my mom and my little sister.

I took this video with my cell phone, so the quality isn't great, but you get the idea.  The pop you hear at the beginning is the champagne bottle breaking.



It was a pretty amazing thing to witness.