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Northrop Grumman Corporation
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For Immediate Release
Contact: Ed Winter
Director, Communications
elwinter@northropgrumman.com
Seventh Navy Sealift Ship Christened BENAVIDEZ
At Northrop Grumman’s Avondale Shipyard
The new ship was named in honor of Medal of Honor recipient Army Master Sergeant Roy P. Benavidez, of Lindenau, Texas. Benavidez distinguished himself in a series of daring and extremely valorous actions while in the Republic of Vietnam assigned to Detachment B56, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces, U. S. Army.
On May 2, 1968, while a Staff Sergeant, Benavidez voluntarily led the emergency extraction of a 12-man special forces reconnaissance team that met heavy enemy resistance while gathering intelligence in an area controlled and routinely patrolled by the North Vietnamese Army. During numerous rescue efforts he physically carried wounded members to helicopters, and despite being critically wounded, continued to lead the rescue efforts, gathering survivors into a defensive perimeter. He distributed water and ammunition, administered to the wounded and provided protective fire. He also safeguarded classified documents carried by the reconnaissance team members. Benavidez’ gallant choice to assist his comrades, to expose himself constantly to heavy enemy fire and his refusal to be stopped despite severe wounds, is credited with saving the lives of at least eight men.
Benavidez was initially awarded the Distinguished Service Cross by General William Westmoreland for his heroism. When the full story of his daring and heroic actions became known, the medal was upgraded to the Medal of Honor. In 1981, former President Ronald Reagan presented him with the Army's highest medal. Retired Master Sergeant Benavidez, age 63, died Nov. 29, 1998, in San Antonio, Texas.
Vice Admiral Gordon S. Holder, United States Navy, Commander, Military Sealift Command, delivered the principal address at the christening. Hilaria Benavidez, widow of the ship’s namesake, is the ship's sponsor who, in the time-honored Navy tradition, christened the ship by breaking a bottle of champagne across the bow.
BENAVIDEZ, a non-combatant vessel, is a large, medium speed, roll-on/roll-off (LMSR) Sealift ship that will be crewed by civilian mariners and operated under contract to the Navy's Military Sealift Command, Washington, D.C. The LMSR ships are ideal for loading military combat and combat support equipment needed overseas and for re-supplying necessary equipment and supplies during national crisis. The ship's six-deck interior has a cargo capacity of approximately 400,000 square feet and its roll-on/roll-off design makes it ideal for transporting helicopters, tanks and other wheeled and tracked military vehicles. Two 110-ton single pedestal twin cranes make it possible to load and unload cargo where shoreside infrastructure is limited or non-existent. A commercial helicopter deck enables emergency, daytime landings.
The 950-foot-long Sealift ships are among the largest in the Navy fleet. Longer than three football fields, BENAVIDEZ has a beam of nearly 106 feet, a draft of 34.6 feet and displaces 62,069 long tons. With 65,160-shaft-horsepower, the diesel-powered ship can cruise at speeds in excess of 24 knots with an endurance range of 13,000 nautical miles. The new ship will have a crew of 29 and accommodations for 95.
Avondale President Thomas M. Kitchen delivered opening remarks and welcomed the distinguished guests. Mr. Kitchen remarked, “Avondale is proud to christen another fine Navy ship and proud of the great workmanship and teamwork that went into building it. We are also pleased and honored to have the Benavidez family with us for this event which honors the memory of Master Sergeant Benavidez and his heroic actions in defense of our great country.”
Other speakers who delivered remarks at the christening were: Major General Kenneth L. Privratsky, United States Army, Commander, Military Traffic Management Command; Rear Admiral Dennis G. Morral, United States Navy, Program Executive Officer for Expeditionary Warfare, Naval Sea Systems Command; and Captain David J. Vogel, United States Navy, Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Conversion and Repair, New Orleans. Also attending the christening was Mr. Jerry St. Pe¢, Chief Operating Officer of Northrop Grumman Ship Systems.
The Matrons of Honor were Mrs. Denise Benavidez Prochazka and Yvette Benavidez Garcia, daughters of the late Master Sergeant Benavidez and his wife, Mrs. Hilaria Benavidez. Mr. Noel Benavidez, Master sergeant Benavidez’ son, was the guest of honor. The Flower Girl was Miss Lauren Elizabeth Walker, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ron Walker. Mr. Walker is a designer in Avondale’s Outfitting Dept. and his wife, Jackie Walker, is the administrative assistant to Avondale President Tom Kitchen. Traditionally, the flower girls at Avondale christenings are the daughters of Avondale employees. Ms. Georgia Barraza, of Stafford, Texas, a friend of the Benavidez family, sang the National Anthem.
The colors were presented by the Alamo Silver Wings Association Honor Guard of San Antonio, Texas, and a brass quintet from the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) Band, provided music for the ceremony. Navy Chaplain Virgil J. Tillman delivered the Invocation.
BENAVIDEZ, along with the other BOB HOPE Class Sealift ships Northrop Grumman Avondale is building, will support the nation’s ability to deploy military equipment and supplies quickly to U. S. troops around the world. The ships function as huge floating parking garages capable of loading, transporting and off-loading any type of military wheeled or tracked vehicle and other types of cargo. Throughout the sprawling deck areas, the ships are capable of carrying up to 1,000 military vehicles, along with containers and other cargo, to provide prepositioning and surge sealift capacity to contingency areas worldwide.
Built utilizing Avondale’s modular construction technology, each Sealift ship is made up of more than 430 modules, each ranging in weight from 8 tons to more than 200 tons.
The first four ships in the program, USNS BOB HOPE (T-AKR 300), USNS FISHER (T-AKR 301), USNS SEAY (T-AKR 302) USNS MENDONCA (T-AKR 303), have been delivered to the Navy and are in service with the Military Sealift Command fleet, while the fifth ship, USNS PILILAAU (T-AKR 304), will be delivered July 24, 2001. The sixth Sealift ship, BRITTIN (T-AKR 305), is presently scheduled for sea trials later this year and delivery early next year.
Northrop Grumman Avondale, located in New Orleans and Tallulah, Louisiana and Gulfport, Mississippi, is part of Northrop Grumman’s Ship Systems (NGSS), headquartered in Pascagoula, Mississippi. NGSS also includes Ingalls Shipbuilding and Ship Systems Full Service Center in Pascagoula. NGSS, which currently employs more than 17,000 shipbuilding professionals, primarily in Louisiana and Mississippi, is one of the nation’s leading full service systems companies for the design, engineering, construction, and life cycle support of major surface ships for the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard and international navies, and for commercial vessels of all types. NGSS has a firm business backlog exceeding $5.6 billion, in a variety of naval and commercial shipbuilding programs.
Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) is a $15 billion, global aerospace and defense company with its worldwide headquarters in Los Angeles. Northrop Grumman provides technologically advanced, innovative products, services and solutions in defense and commercial electronics, systems integration, information technology, and non-nuclear shipbuilding and systems. With 80,000 employees and operations in 44 states and 25 countries, Northrop Grumman serves U.S. and international military, government and commercial customers.