JOHNSTOWN —
It has been a good week for John Murtha’s legacy.
Another tribute came in a Navy memo that said the 10th San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock will be named for the powerful Johnstown Democrat.
Murtha had chaired the House appropriations defense subcommittee before his February death.
Navy Secretary Ray Mabus notified Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead that he had selected “John P. Murtha” for the previously unnamed LPD – landing platform dock – 26, according to the Navy Times.
The Navy Times said the decision is just the latest example of the Navy breaking a convention in naming its warships. Previous ships in the San Antonio class have been named for American cities.
The John P. Murtha eventually will join the USS Somerset, a San-Antonio class sister ship being constructed in Avondale, La. The Somerset is the third in a group of San Antonio-class ships to be dedicated in memory of Sept. 11, 2001. It joins the USS New York and USS Arlington.
This class of ships can carry about 700 Marines, their equipment and vehicles.
The choice of Murtha appeared to have both pros and cons.
On the plus side, he was a staunch supporter of the military as a congressman and he was a Marine veteran of the Vietnam era. Detractors would point to accusations of ethics violations that surfaced over the years, and Murtha’s 2005 comments that Marines operating in Haditha, Iraq, had killed “innocent people.”
The John P. Murtha is the latest amphibious ship to break with its class naming convention, the Navy Times said.
Mabus’ predecessor, Donald Winter, in 2008 named the amphibious assault ship LHA 6 the “America,” bucking the tradition of naming them for Marine battles, such as “Makin Island” and “Bataan.”
Other Navy vessels that have been named for friendly politicians include the fast attack subs Glenard P. Lipscomb and John Warner, the ballistic missile sub Henry M. Jackson, and the carriers Carl Vinson and John C. Stennis, the Times said.
The honor for Murtha was the second announced this week.
On Tuesday, plans were announced for the proposed John P. Murtha Center for Public Service at Pitt-Johns-town. Fundraising has begun for the center, which will aim to educate and motivate citizens to become active in civic, military and public service activities.
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