Welcome to Navy Live blog coverage of the Jan. 26 commissioning of the Navy’s newest destroyer, USS Michael Monsoor (DDG 1001).

Live video from Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego, California, where the ship will be homeported is scheduled to begin 1 p.m. (EST) / 10 a.m. (PST).

The second ship in the Zumwalt-class of destroyers, DDG-1001 is named in honor of Medal of Honor recipient Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class (SEAL) Michael A. Monsoor, who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions in Ramadi, Iraq, Sept. 29, 2006.

Read more about Monsoor’s action on All Hands Magazine.

“USS Michael Monsoor is one of the most capable warfighting assets our nation has to offer. This ship will provide independent forward presence and deterrence for decades to come and I am confident the crew will operate this vessel with the level of expertise, courage and strength needed to overcome any challenge.”
– Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer

Scott Peters, U.S. representative from California’s 52nd District, will deliver the commissioning ceremony’s principal address. Sally Monsoor, Petty Officer Monsoor’s mother, will serve as the ship’s sponsor. The ceremony will be highlighted by a time-honored Navy tradition when she will give the first order to “man our ship and bring her to life!”

The future USS Michael Monsoor includes new technologies and will serve as a multi-mission platform capable of operating as an integral part of naval, joint or combined maritime forces.

The Zumwalt-class fields a considerably larger flight deck and has capacity for two MH-60R and three VTUAVs to execute a wider array of surface, aviation, and undersea missions that deliver more manpower, firepower, and computing power to the fight. The future USS Michael Monsoor’s Vertical Launch System (VLS) features cells physically larger than similar cells on today’s ships, allowing this class to fire larger and more advanced land and anti-ship missiles in the future.

Follow the conversation on Twitter using #USSMichaelMonsoor.

http://navylive.dodlive.mil/2019/01/23/uss-michael-monsoor-ddg-1001-commissioning/ U.S. Navy