LHA 7 to be named Tripoli

Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced Friday the selection of USS Tripoli as the name for the Navy's next large-deck amphibious assault ship, LHA 7. It will be the third ship to be named Tripoli, a name that commemorates the capture of Derna in 1805 by a small force of U.S. Marines and about 370 soldiers from 11 other nations during the First Barbary War. LHA 7 has an increased aviation capacity to include an enlarged hangar deck and more that will support helicopters, tilt rotors and Joint Strike Fighters F-35B aircraft. (Source: DoD, 05/04/12) Gulf Coast note: LHA 7 is being built by Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Miss.