Ship named after Anchorage

WASHINGTON, Aug. 17 (UPI) -- Secretary of the Navy Gordon England Tuesday named the Navy's next amphibious transport dock ship in honor of the city of Anchorage, Alaska.

Anchorage is an important seaport and a major American city. Alaska also has provided thousands of young men and women to the U.S. Navy and the Marine force, England noted.

"The USS Anchorage will project American power to the far corners of the Earth and support the cause of freedom well into the 21st century," said England during the naming ceremony.