Coast Guard cutter Munro christening is Saturday at Ingalls

Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula on Saturday will christen its sixth U.S. Coast Guard National Security Cutter Munro (WMSL 755).

Adm. Paul Zukunft, commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, will be the keynote speaker, and Julie Sheehan, great-niece of the ship's namesake, Signalman First Class Douglas Munro, is the ship sponsor.

Munro died on Sept. 27, 1942, on Guadalcanal. He volunteered to evacuate a detachment of Marines who were facing annihilation by a large and unanticipated enemy force. He saved them but lost his life.

For his heroic and selfless actions in the completion of this rescue mission, Munro was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. He is the Coast Guard's sole recipient of the award.

This story was originally published November 11, 2015 at 4:13 PM with the headline "Coast Guard cutter Munro christening is Saturday at Ingalls ."