Wordful Wednesday

My husband & dad are serving on a new ship called the USS Makin Island aka the "Prius". This past Saturday more than 5,000 family, friends, distinguished guests and crew members were on hand to see USS Makin Island (LHD 8) come to life in an official commissioning ceremony. It was AWESOME! Here are some pictures from the ceremony:

(Below is an article I found about the USS Makin Island.)

The USS Makin Island, a Wasp-class amphibious assault ship, was commissioned last Saturday morning at North Island Naval Air Station in San Diego.

Dubbed the 'Prius of Navy warships,' the Makin Island is built with gas turbine engines and electric drive. The Navy projects that this will save nearly $250 million in fuel costs over the ship's lifetime.

The ship, which was built by Northrop Grumman at a cost of about $1.8 billion, was delivered to the base in April. It will be a member of the U.S. Pacific Fleet as part of Amphibious Group Three. It's 844 feet long, weighs 42,800 tons, and was designed to transport Marines and their equipment.

It can hold 1,100 to 1,200 sailors and about 2,000 Marines. It can also carry up to 25 aircraft, including six CH-53 Sea Stallion heavy-lift transport helicopters, AH-1 attack helicopters and AV-8B Harrier II ground attack aircraft.

This week's Wordful Wednesday hosted by Angie at: