Last Avondale ship leaves yard

The USS Somerset, expected to be the last Navy ship built at Huntington Ingalls Industries' Avondale shipyard, left Monday for a March 1 commissioning in Philadelphia. The 684-foot amphibious transport dock ship is the third ship named after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attack. The first one, USS New York, was built in Avondale and the USS Arlington was built in Pascagoula, Miss. Somerset is the county in Pennsylvania where United Airlines Flight 93 crashed. Avondale, which has been targeted for closure for several years, delivered its first Navy ship in 1951. HII is seeking an energy-industry partner to keep the shipyard open. (Source: Times-Picayune, 02/03/14)