Jenniffer González keynote speaker at the christening ceremony of the USNS Puerto Rico vessel

Mobile, Alabama - Congresswoman, Jenniffer González Colón, served as keynote speaker at the christening ceremony of the new ship of the United States Navy, USNS Puerto Rico.

The vessel, built with a monetary investment of $ 175 million in Mobile, Alabama by the shipyard Austal USA, is a ship of the type classified as "expeditionary transport ship", will bear the designation of registration T-EPF-11 indicating in the naval slang a non-combatant ship. It is a versatile transport vessel designed to operate in shallow ports or waterways, increasing operational flexibility for a wide range of activities including maneuvers and maintenance, relief operations in small or damaged ports, flexible logistic support or as key enabler for fast transport.


With capacity for 600 tons of military cargo, 300 passengers for short distances or 104 for up to 14 days, the 103-meter catamaran vessel has a range of action of 1200 nautical miles and a maximum speed of 35 knots.

USNS Puerto Rico will also have a flight deck for helicopters and drones with the ability to launch aircraft day and night to support rescue and recovery operations.

The ship will have a basic crew of 22 for its operation and daily maintenance, which expands to 41 when it is in action, depending on the mission.

The USNS Puerto Rico will join other vessels in the history of the Navy with names that allude to our island. These include the currently active USS San Juan submarine, the now retired Amphibious Transport USS Ponce, the World War II Cruiser USS San Juan and the World War II repair ships USS Culebra Island and USS Mona Island.

"The USNS Puerto Rico will be named after our beloved island, land of the people who have shown over and over again that we can cope with difficult trials and get ahead. A land of US citizens who have proudly responded to the call of the nation to duty in the Armed Forces and the Merchant Navy for more than a century, "said González Colón.

The congresswoman added that "among them, there is one who, with his actions, confirms everything we know about the brave spirit of Puerto Ricans. Yamil Sánchez-Padilla has been selected to be the first officer of this magnificent ship when it enters service. At the time he learned about the christening of this boat, he personally asked to serve at the USNS Puerto Rico. That is the spirit of us Puerto Ricans.

The ships carrying the acronym "USNS" are support units, including transports, supply ships and hospital ships, belonging to the Navy and under their command, but with crew of the Merchant Navy for daily operations. The Captain, First Officer and Engineer appointed are all officers of the Merchant Navy who will be in prominence to the Navy.



As part of the commemorative events, González Colon was joined by the godmother of the ship, the Associate Judge of the Supreme Court of the United States Sonia Sotomayor, along with officers of the Navy and the Merchant Navy and executives of Austal USA, among others. Prior to the ceremony, Jenniffer González participated in a protocol dinner organized by the ship's godmother, where she presented a flag with her certificate for the ship, as well as providing her congressional currency as part of the "Mast Stepping" tradition.

The ship, whose construction was approved at the end of 2016 and started last August, will now move to the stage of equipment installation and manufacturer testing, after which the Navy will have its own testing period; Normally the T-EPF vessels of recent construction enter into regular operations between eleven months to one year after their baptism.

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