MSC Ship Pulls into Hometown of Namesake

TAMPA, Fla. (NNS) --- Military Sealift Command (MSC) ship MV 1st Lt. Baldomero Lopez (T-AK 3010) visited Tampa, Fla., the hometown of her namesake, for the first time January 1.

Lt. Baldomero Lopez received the Medal of Honor posthumously for his actions during the 1950 Inchon invasion in Korea when he covered a live grenade with his own body in order to save the lives of his fellow Marines

The cargo ship was welcomed to the Port of Tampa by Lopez’s brother, Joe, other members of the Lopez family and representatives from the Tampa chapter of the Korean War Veterans Association. Well-known in the Tampa area, a local elementary school, nursing home and Korean War Veterans Association chapter have been named for Lopez.

“We are all excited about bringing Lopez to Tampa. It feels like a long overdue homecoming,” said Capt. Harry Bolton, the ship’s master. “It is truly amazing how this community has embraced their hero and has kept his legacy alive for 55 years. I believe that, with this ship, we are bringing the spirit of Baldomero Lopez home to his family and his people.”

A Maritime Prepositioning Ship, MV 1st Lt. Baldomero Lopez is usually prepositioned at sea in the Indian Ocean laden with Marine Corps cargo, ready to deploy equipment, fuel and supplies on short notice to support U.S. military forces in the event of a major theater war, humanitarian operation or other contingency. Recently, the ship supported a variety of missions, including tsunami relief in Southeast Asia, Exercise Bright Star in Egypt and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Since 2003, the ship has made four trips to the Middle East delivering more than 383,000 square feet of combat cargo.

The 670-foot ship is crewed by 29 civilian mariners who work for a commercial company under contract to MSC and is scheduled to undergo routine maintenance in Tampa for one month.

MSC operates about 120 noncombatant, civilian-crewed ships in support of deployed U.S. forced around the world. In addition to afloat prepositioning of combat cargo, MSC ships replenish Navy ships at sea, chart ocean bottoms, conduct undersea surveillance and transport cargo for deployed U.S. forces worldwide.