USNS Pomeroy named for MOH recipient in San Diego

SAN DIEGO, Calif. (USTCNS) --- The U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command christened its newest large, medium-speed, roll-on/roll-off ship in March at National Steel and Shipbuilding Company in San Diego.

The ship's sponsor Arlene May Pomeroy Castle broke a bottle of champagne over the ship's bow and pronounced the ship United States Naval Ship Pomeroy, named in honor of her brother Army Private First Class Ralph E. Pomeroy, a Korean War Medal of Honor recipient. Another of Pfc. Pomeroy's sisters, Nancy Pomeroy, served as Castle's maid of honor.

Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham was the guest
speaker.

Pfc. Pomeroy received the Medal of Honor posthumously for
his heroic actions Oct. 15, 1952, near Kumbwa, Korea. See the complete citation at:
http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/mohkor2.htm

USNS Pomeroy will sail as a monument to this brave American - acting as a deterrent to enemies around the world prepositioning Army cargo at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.

The 950-foot ship is one of the U.S. Navy's largest ships with a cargo-carrying capacity of more than 380,000
square feet. She is scheduled to join her sister ships of the Watson class -- USNS Watson, USNS Sisler, USNS Dahl, USNS Red Cloud, USNS Charlton and USNS Watkins -- as a Military Sealift Command prepositioning asset in December of this year following her August delivery.

The final ship of the Watson class, USNS Soderman, is scheduled to deliver in September 2002.

Military Sealift Command -- the ocean transportation
provider for the Department of Defense -- operates more than 110 ships daily worldwide.

MSC prepositioning ships deter potential aggressors around the globe by prepositioning military equipment near potential hot spots.

MSC Combat Logistics Force ships help keep the Navy combatant fleet at sea and mission ready by delivering supplies from fuel to flour.

MSC sealift ships transport fuel, equipment and supplies for the military and various DOD agencies; While MSC Special Mission ships perform missions from counter-drug to oceanography for numerous DOD agencies.

For more information about MSC or for photos of the christening, see the command Web site at http://www.msc.navy.mil. (FROM MILITARY SEALIFT COMMAND PUBLIC AFFAIRS).