Ship christened by First Lady

PASCAGOULA, Miss. - It took two swings of the bottle, but First Lady Michelle Obama on Friday christened a Coast Guard cutter named for the organization’s first female commissioned officer. Some 3,000 people showed up for the ceremony. The First Lady praised Capt. Dorothy C. Stratton as a pioneer who joined the Coast Guard during World War II and eventually oversaw more than 10,000 enlisted women and 1,000 commissioned officers. The ship, built by Northrop Grumman, will be delivered next summer and patrol waters off northern California. (Source: Multiple, including AP via NPR, Mississippi Press, Sun Herald, 07/23/10) Previous story