Jan. 30 (UPI) -- The U.S. Navy laid the keel for its 12th Expeditionary Fast Transport, the future USNS Newport, at Austal USA's shipyard in Mobile, Ala.
During a ceremony, the keel of the fast transport ship was "truly and fairly laid" and was authenticated by sponsor Charlotte Dorrance Marshall of Newport, R.I. The board member of the Hamilton Family Charitable Trust signed her initials into the keel plate of the future Newport, which will be the fourth ship named after the Rhode Island city. A completion date wasn't announced.