Navy to christen new combat ship USS Billings

WASHINGTON - The Navy will christen the USS Billings, its newest littoral combat ship (LCS), at a ceremony in Marinette, Wisconsin on Saturday.

The ship will honor the largest city in Montana, and it will be the first ship of its name in naval service.

"The christening of the future USS Billings brings this great warship one step closer to joining the fleet, where it will, for decades to come, serve as a tribute to the great people of Billings and the state of Montana, as well as the highly skilled men and women who built our nation's newest littoral combat ship," said Acting Secretary of the Navy Sean Stackley.

Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin will deliver the ceremony's principal address, and Sharla Tester, the wife of Montana Senator Jon Tester, ranking member of the Senate Veteran's Affairs Committee, will sponsor the ship.

In longstanding tradition, she will break a bottle of sparkling wine across its bow to formally christen the ship.