190412-N-BR740-1083 PASCAGOULA, Miss. (April 12, 2019) Ingalls Shipbuilding welder Morris Johnson welds the initials of Shawna McCool and Kate Oja, ship sponsors of the future littoral combat ship USS Richard M. McCool Jr. (LPD 29) into a steel plate during the keel authentication ceremony for the ship at Huntington Ingalls Industries Pascagoula shipyard, April 12, 2019. The laying of the keel traditionally marked the first step in ship construction. With today's advanced modular shipbuilding, the keel laying ceremony now recognizes the joining together of a ship's components and is a major milestone in the ship's construction. (U.S. Navy photo by Samantha Crane/Released)