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The US Warship Named After A Shooting Survivor Is Ready For Duty

This is the first U.S. warship named after a living woman since the 1700s.

By: Lindsey Pulse

Posted at 4:56 PM, Jun 10, 2017

and last updated 2017-06-10 16:56:32-04

The warship named after former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords is ready for duty.

The USS Gabrielle Giffords was commissioned — or placed in active service — in Galveston, Texas, on Saturday. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former second lady Jill Biden spoke at the ceremony.

Giffords was shot in an assassination attempt at a constituent meeting in 2011. Six people died, and over a dozen others were injured in the shooting.

This is only the second time a U.S. Navy warship has been named after a living woman. The first was named after former first lady Martha Washington.

When the ship's name was announced in 2012, then-Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus said it was "named for someone who has become synonymous with courage." Before the commissioning, Giffords said it was a "humbling honor."