TAMPA, Fla.— “Indestructible.”
That’s the nickname given to the U.S. Navy’s newest warship, the USS Jack H. Lucas, a guided-missile destroyer that was commissioned on Oct. 7 at the Port of Tampa.
She gets it from her namesake: PFC Jack H. Lucas of the United States Marine Corps, the youngest service member of World War II to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Many of the crew, VIPs, and civilians in attendance were familiar with his story. He lied about his age to enlist in the Marines at the age of 14.
At 17, he fought in the Battle of Iwo Jima and earned his Medal of Honor by using his own body to shield his fellow soldiers from two grenades. Fifteen years later, he joined the Army as a paratrooper in Vietnam. During that term, he survived a parachute malfunction on one of his jumps.
He died in 2008 at the age of 80.
“It is a fitting title for the man that it’s named after,” said Lt. Cdr. Christopher Lomax to The Epoch Times. “The guy is literally indestructible.”
She is the first of a new generation of guided-missile destroyers designed to undertake a variety of offensive, defensive, and support-based missions. She is also the first warship to bear her name.
The USS Jack H. Lucas is fitted with upgraded air and missile defense radar and combat systems, as well as new electrical and cooling systems.
Adm. Daryl Caudle, commander of U.S. Fleet Forces Command, described her at the ceremony as being “the most capable surface combatant ever built” with an expected lifespan lasting into “the 2060s and beyond.”
She sailed beneath the Sunshine Skyway bridge on Oct. 9 en route to her new home port of San Diego. There, she will join the Pacific Fleet at a time of mounting tension between the United States and Communist China.
Hundreds of spectators joined the ship’s 380 officers and crew in the intense Florida heat to celebrate the historic day.
‘We Name Destroyers for Heroes’
Ship sponsors are the ones chosen to christen each new vessel.“The Jack H. Lucas is built to fight,” said Sgt. Maj. Ruiz. “It’s fast, maneuverable, versatile, and a lethal ship capable of tackling any mission it’s given.
“It will keep the Navy and Marine Corps adaptive and ready and uphold our commitment to maintaining the free flow of commerce, deterring military aggression, and facilitating quick responses to natural disasters across the globe.”
Mr. Raven emphasized the United States Navy’s crucial role in protecting economic interests and advancing America’s global security. He stated that 90 percent of global trade travels by sea, including $5.4 trillion of annual national commerce affecting 31 million American jobs.
“A ship’s name is significant,” he said. “The Navy names ships after people, ideas, and places that we want to honor.
“Specifically, we name destroyers for heroes, and this ship is for a hero of our naval services, Marine Corps Private First Class Jack H. Lucas.
“Jack lived an absolutely incredible life. He was a legendary figure who embodied our core values, and the title ‘hero’ does not even suffice.”
With a beaming smile, Ms. Lucas said: “Oh, it’s such a joy to look out and see all these people that come to honor my husband. This is such an impressive ship and deserving of a name it bears, and Jack would be so happy today.”
As the speeches progressed, officers and sailors stood at attention behind the seated spectators. Rows of spotless white uniforms faced the battleship-gray vessel until the call was made for them to report aboard and bring the ship to life.
Two by two, the seamen ran down the middle aisle of the crowd and then up either the forward or aft (front or back) gangways as the band played “Anchors Away.”
Flags were raised aboard the ship, smoke stacks erupted in white smoke, and two helicopters flew overhead. Soon, all except the band and commanding officer were aboard, lined up along the railings.
“It’s the best ship in the Navy for a lot of reasons,” said Capt. Oster. “But it all hinges on those sailors.” He said he had asked a lot from them and they had come through and delivered a near-perfect score during her final assessments.
From Air Force to Navy
The USS Jack H. Lucas was docked for more than a week at the Port of Tampa after being released from the shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi.Ms. Kathy Castor said Tampa was the perfect place for the ceremony, as it is a community rich in military service members and veterans and in military history.
“We’re just a stone’s throw from the historic Fort Brooke of the 1800s, also the encampment in 1898 of Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders at what is now the University of Tampa, to the modern MacDill Air Force Base, home of [U.S.] Special Operations Command and [U.S.] Central Command,” she said.
“This is also a community that every year repels marauding pirates,” she added, alluding to Tampa’s annual Mardi-Gras-esque pirate celebration called Gasparilla. “So it’s with that spirit we set you on a sound foundation to launch this magnificent vessel.”
Tampa’s Mayor Jane Castor also highlighted her city’s connection to America’s armed forces, noting that it has long been an Air Force community.
But on the day of the commissioning, she said: “We are a Navy and Marine community.”
“Never lose sight of the service and sacrifice of Jack Lucas,” the mayor advised the crew. “Ensure that you live up to the standards set by him and so many other brave men and women.”
