Senator's wife authenticates keel at Ingalls; Kay Cochran is ship's sponsor

PASCAGOULA -- A U.S. Coast Guard National Security Cutter is one step closer to being seaworthy.

The keel of the NSC Kimball (WMSL 756) was authenticated Friday at Ingalls shipyard in Pascagoula by the ship's sponsor, Kay Bowen Webber Cochran, wife of U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran.

A keel is authenticated when the sponsor's initials are welded into the ship.

The ship is the seventh NSC to be built by Huntington Ingalls Industries.

The ship was named in honor of Sumner Kimball, who was instrumental in the formation of the Coast Guard.

"Sumner Kimball helped pave the path to the modern U.S. Coast Guard," Kay Cochran said. "More than 225 years after its creation, our nation's oldest seagoing service is beautifully executing its diverse and challenging missions."

Adm. Paul Zukunft, Coast Guard commandant, said the keel authentication is one of several milestones in the early life of a ship.

"We cannot give birth to the ships soon enough, because the next milestone is we will christen this baby," he said. "Then, the next milestone is when it gets married to the crew, and we put it into commission. We cannot do that soon enough."

Zukunft said the NSC will be used to help the Coast Guard in its mission of preventing narcotics from entering the U.S. by water.

"On Thursday night, the Coast Guard seized its third self-propelled semi-submersible and netted over 6 tons of cocaine," he said. "The fish are biting. They're not actual fish but predators, and they are attacking (with) illegal drugs bound for this country."

NSCs, he said, have helped reduce the crime rate in Honduras and other Central American countries.

"We can't get the Kimball commissioned soon enough," Zukunft said. "Thanks to the leadership of Sen. Cochran, we have added the five new NSC ships. This will be a game changer for the Coast Guard and the nation."

Before signing her initials on the keel, Kay Cochran thanked the Ingalls employees for their dedication to shipbuilding.

"You are the reason why Mississippi has such a long, storied history of shipbuilding of which we are very, very proud," she said.

This story was originally published March 4, 2016 at 3:41 PM with the headline "Senator's wife authenticates keel at Ingalls; Kay Cochran is ship's sponsor ."