USS Somerset (LPD-25)

For other ships with the same name, see USS Somerset.

USS Somerset (LPD-25) is a San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock of the United States Navy.^[1] It is the fourth United States Navy vessel and the second warship to bear this name, the first two being a wooden-hulled motorboat and a ferry.

USS Somerset (LPD-25)

USS Somerset on 21 April 2014
History
United States
Name	Somerset
Namesake	Somerset County, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Awarded	21 December 2007[1]
Builder	Avondale Shipyard
Laid down	11 December 2009[1]
Launched	14 April 2012[1]
Sponsored by	Mrs. Mary Jo Myers
Christened	28 July 2012
Commissioned	1 March 2014[1]
Homeport	San Diego[1]
Identification	MMSI number: 369970850 Callsign: NSOM Pennant number: LPD-25
Status	in active service
Badge
General characteristics
Class and type	San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock
Displacement	25,000 tons full
Length	208.5 m (684 ft) overall, 201.4 m (661 ft) waterline
Beam	31.9 m (105 ft) extreme,   29.5 m (97 ft) waterline
Draft	7 m (23 ft)
Propulsion	Four Fairbanks Morse Defense diesel engines, two shafts, 40,000 hp (30 MW)
Speed	22 knots (41 km/h)
Boats & landing craft carried	Two LCACs (air cushion) or one LCU (conventional)
Capacity	699 (66 officers, 633 enlisted); surge to 800 total.
Complement	28 officers, 333 enlisted
Armament	Two 30 mm Bushmaster II cannons, for surface threat defense; two Rolling Airframe Missile launchers for air defense
Aircraft carried	Four CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters or two MV-22 tilt rotor aircraft may be launched or recovered simultaneously.

The first warship, an armed cargo ship from World War II, was named for the Somerset counties of Maine, Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

The modern ship was named specifically for Somerset County Pennsylvania, in honor of the passengers who died on United Airlines Flight 93, which was hijacked during the terror attacks of 11 September 2001. The passengers prevented the plane from reaching its intended target by forcing it to crash in Stonycreek Township in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. The words "Let's Roll," spoken by a passenger of United Airlines Flight 93 before trying to storm the cockpit of the doomed flight, are painted on the ship above the rear deck,^[2] along with a "93" seal which mirrors the "93" flag seen flying on the vessel in many photos. In the words of Secretary of the Navy Gordon R. England;

"The courage and heroism of the people aboard the flight will never be forgotten and USS Somerset will leave a legacy that will never be forgotten by those wishing to do harm to this country."

Construction

Approximately 22 tons of steel from a Marion 7500 dragline that stood near Flight 93's crash site were used to construct Somerset's keel.^[3]

The contract to build the Somerset was awarded on 21 December 2007 to Northrop Grumman Ship Systems of Pascagoula, Mississippi. Her keel was laid down on 11 December 2009, at Northrop Grumman's Avondale shipyard in New Orleans, Louisiana. She was launched on 14 April 2012, and christened three months later on 28 July sponsored by Mrs. Mary Jo Myers, the wife of General Richard Myers, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.^[4] She completed acceptance trials in September 2013.^[5][6]

On 3 February 2014, the Somerset was recorded as the last Navy ship to depart from the Avondale shipyard, before its closing. She was commissioned on 1 March 2014 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.^[7]

Gallery

• 
  Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Richard B. Myers, his wife Mary Jo, and Secretary of the Navy Gordon R. England pose next to a model of USS Somerset