USS Mesa Verde (LPD-19)

USS "Mesa Verde" (LPD-19) is the third "San Antonio"-class amphibious transport dock and the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado. The ship is designed to deliver a fully equipped battalion of up to 800 Marines.

The contract to build her was awarded on February 29, 2000 to Northrop Grumman Ship Systems of Pascagoula, Mississippi, and her keel was laid down on February 25, 2003. She was launched on 19 November 2004, and christened on January 15, 2005 with Linda Price Campbell, wife of former Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell of Colorado, serving as the ship’s sponsor. The ship was commissioned on December 15, 2007 in Panama City, Florida with its first commanding officer being Commander Shawn W. Lobree of Miami, Florida. [cite news
accessdate=2007-12-18
url=http://www.sunherald.com/306/story/250083.html
title=U.S. Navy commissions new ship built by Northrop Grumman
author=
work=Associated Press
date=December 15, 2007
id=
publisher=]

References

:This article contains information from the Naval Vessel Registry and various other United States Navy Web sites.

External links

* [http://www.mesa-verde.navy.mil/ USS "Mesa Verde" official website]
* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/10/09/0919.htm navsource.org: USS "Mesa Verde"]
* [http://www.nvr.navy.mil/nvrships/details/LPD19.htm nvr.navy.mil: USS "Mesa Verde"]
* [http://www.hullnumber.com/LPD-19 LPD-19 Personnel Roster at HullNumber.com]