President Reagan And Sponsor Authenticate Keel Of 'Yorktown' At Ingalls

As part of his participation in the bicentennial celebration of the Battle of Yorktown, Va., that ended the Revolutionary War, President Reagan authorized the start of hull construction on a new U.S. Navy cruiser to be named Yorktown (CG 48). In the upper photo, the President and Secretary of the Navy John F. Lehman look on as Mrs. Mary Mathews, sponsor of the Aegis guided missile cruiser, initials a plaque that will become a permanent part of the ship. The President also initialed the plaque, which authenticates the keel-laying of the second ship in the Ticonderoga Class. Prior to the ceremony at Yorktown, employees of Ingalls Shipbuilding Division of Litton Industries in Pascagoula, Miss., the builder of the ship, positioned the first hull section or "keel" onto its blocks, signifying the beginning of construction.