Navy Commissions USS Gabrielle Giffords In Galveston

GALVESTON, TX — Former U.S. Rep Gabrielle Giffords was honored as the newest U.S. Navy warship was commissioned bearing her name.

The USS Gabrielle Giffords, a Littoral Class vessel, was commissioned in Galveston on Saturday amid an A-list of politicians and VIPs that included former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden. (Want to get daily updates about traffic news and other events going on in your area? Sign up for the free Houston Patch morning newsletter.)

The ship was named in honor of Giffords, who as a U.S. Rep from Arizona, was shot in the head during an assassination attempt in 2011.

The USS Gabrielle Giffords is the 16th naval vessel to be named after a woman, KTRK reported.

Gifford, whose husband Capt. Mark Kelly (Ret.) was an astronaut at the time of the shooting, underwent extensive rehabilitation in Houston after the shooting.

Giffords, who was accompanied by her husband, expressed her joy at seeing the commissioning, two years after she helped christen the vessel.

"I will never forget this day or the crew of the USS Gabrielle Giffords. Fair winds and following seas," she said.

The ship and her crew will be based at Naval Base San Diego, California.

Image: Naval Surface Warriors via Flickr

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