New Navy Warship Joins San Diego Fleet

Byline: Taylor Hill SAN DIEGO — The 684-foot Navy vessel Anchorage made its maiden voyage through San Diego Bay Nov. 21, docking at Navy Base San Diego. The $1.3 billion amphibious transport dock is the newest of the Navy’s San Antonio-class fleet, completed Sept. 17 by Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) Shipbuilding site in Avondale, La. After leaving Louisiana Oct. 30, the ship with a 105-foot beam transited the Panama Canal’s 110-foot-wide locks, making it one of the largest classes of ships to have safely passed through the canal. “It was amazing to see how the ship fit in the locks and was pulled along,” said Quartermaster 3rd Class Teanesha Jones, who was aboard the vessel during the canal transit. “I guess it really opens your eyes on how we (the Navy) get from one side of the world to the other, and the kind of international cooperation that plays into that.” At 10 a.m. Nov. 21, the ship passed under the San Diego-Coronado Bridge for the first time. Fire Controlman 1st Class Michael Keller was among the first crewmembers to report to Anchorage while the vessel was under construction, arriving in Avondale more than a year-and-a-half ago. “The entire process was amazing to witness and be a...