USNS Carson City officially christened at ceremony, remarks by Mayor Crowell

The U.S. Navy christened its newest fast-transport ship, the USNS Carson City EPF-7 at a ceremony Saturday in Mobile, Alabama. Susan Asbury Crowell, wife of Carson City Mayor Robert Crowell, and sponsor of the ship, officially introduced it with a bottle of champagne during the ceremony, which also featured Nevada Congressman Mark Amodei.

Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus said the USNS Carson City marks the "beginning of what will be a long-standing partnership between the people of Carson City, the sailors, Marines and civilian mariners who will sail aboard this ship."

Here are Mayor Crowell's remarks from Saturday:
This is truly a special day for Carson City. We thank the Secretary of the Navy for selecting this seventh This is truly a special day for Carson City. We thank the Secretary of the Navy for selecting this seventh Spearhead-class Joint High Speed Vessel to be henceforth known as the USNS CARSON CITY EPF-7. Our community is profoundly grateful for this tribute. Let me assure you that we will live up to the high honor bestowed upon us.

Carson City prides itself on being the capital of the great state of Nevada, a state that is the namesake of the USS NEVADA BB-63, the only battleship to get underway during the attack on Pearl Harbor, and more recently, the Trident Ballistic Missile Submarine, USS NEVADA, SSBN-733, which is currently patrolling the seas in our common defense.

Carson City also takes pride in its own rich naval history beginning with the commissioning during World War II of the USS CARSON CITY PF-50, a Tacoma class frigate, which was awarded two battle stars. In the foyer of our City Hall you will find a prominently displayed exhibit dedicated to the original CARSON CITY that includes the ship’s bell and its commissioning pennant. This exhibit will be expanded to recognize and pay tribute to the CARSON CITY that we christen here today.

Carson City is a consolidated city and county municipality. Founded in 1858, we are relatively small in size and geographically compact. What we lack in size, however, we make up in the immense pride we share for the community we call home.

I mention community because Carson City is indeed a community in every sense of the word and concept. We are not just a collection of neighborhoods. We are a community that values and cares for all its citizens---most importantly our veterans. By way of example, students and faculty of our own Western Nevada College are the creators of “Always Lost, a Meditation on War”, an exhibit that displays the faces of every service member killed in Iraq and Afghanistan since September 11, 2001. This exhibit has now been displayed in 50 communities around the nation and is a poignant reminder of the human cost of war and the immense sacrifice of those individuals who lives were cut short in the defense of the freedoms we enjoy in America.

As a matter of personal pride, I mention that the president of Western Nevada College is a retired Navy Commander and plank owner of the USS LaJolla, SSN 701 and our City Manager is a decorated retired Marine Colonel and veteran of the Iraq War.

Today we extend the hand of friendship to the crew of the CARSON CITY and all those who had a hand in her construction including the many Austal employees who have made this ship the best that there is to be. Not to be overlooked are Alicia Aadnesen and Debbie Simmons of the Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington D.C. who have tirelessly worked to ensure the success of the very special nature of today’s ceremonies. Just as Captain Wiley is a resident of Carson City so are each and every one of you now welcome members of the Carson City community.

To the Captain and crew of the CARSON CITY, as you sail the seas and coastal shores in the defense of our country, please know that your safety, the safety of your embarked forces and the safety of your ship will forever be in the forefront of our thoughts and your safe return in our prayers.
May you always be blessed with fair winds and following seas.

Christening remarks by Susan Crowell:

I am truly honored to be the sponsor of the newest Navy ship named after my hometown of Carson City.

This is a special day for my family and me. I grew up in a military family. My father, Colonel Robert Asbury, was a pilot — first in the Army Air Corps and later in the United States Air Force — and of course my husband, Bob, is a retired Navy Captain and Vietnam veteran.

Carson City is also a large part of my life. I have seen it grow to what it is today: A vibrant community that lives up to its motto: Proud of its past, confident in its future.

Today we crown all the wonderful attributes of our community with the naming of this United States Navy ship in our honor.

The Carson City is a beautiful ship — strong and fast — a credit to all those who had a hand in building her; to all of the Austral Shipyard employees who tirelessly worked to build her — please know that your pride in your work is deeply appreciated, matched only in our pride of having her carry the name Carson City.

EPF 7 is the second U.S. Navy ship named for the city in Nevada. The first Carson City was designated PF-50 and commissioned March 24, 1944. She was loaned to Japan in 1953 and served for nearly 20 years in the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. Carson City received two battle stars for World War II service.

The EPF is a shallow draft, all aluminum, commercial-based catamaran capable of intra-theater personnel and cargo lift providing combatant commanders high-speed sealift mobility with inherent cargo handling capability and agility to achieve positional advantage over operational distances.

EPF is designed to transport 600 short tons of military cargo 1,200 nautical miles at an average speed of 35 knots in sea state 3. The ship is capable of operating in shallow-draft ports and waterways, interfacing with roll-on/roll-off discharge facilities, and on/off-loading a combat-loaded Abrams Main Battle Tank (M1A2). The EPF will include a flight deck for helicopter operations and an off-load ramp that will allow vehicles to quickly drive off the ship.

The ramp will be suitable for the types of austere piers and quay walls common in developing countries. EPF’s shallow draft (under 15 feet) will further enhance littoral operations and port access. This makes the EPF an extremely flexible asset for support of a wide range of operations including maneuver and sustainment, relief operations in small or damaged ports, flexible logistics support, or as the key enabler for rapid transport.