PASCAGOULA, Miss. (WLOX) - On Thursday, a keel certification ceremony was held for the soon-to-be U.S.S. Thad Cochran (DDG 135).

The state-of-the-art warship is named in honor of the statesman who spent the majority of his life serving Mississippians.

Cochran was a Navy veteran and former U.S. senator who represented Mississippi from 1978 to 2018. Ship sponsor and wife of the namesake, Kay Webber Cochran, welded her initials onto a steel plate signifying the keel of DDG 135 to be “truly and fairly laid.”

Once the ship is built, the next step will be a christening, followed by sea trials.

See a spelling or grammar error in this story? Report it to our team HERE .

See Full Page