Irish sisters christen US warship bearing name of their brother, who was lauded for heroism

Associated Press

BATH, Maine (AP) — Three sisters of an Irish-born recipient of the Navy Cross have christened a U.S. Navy warship bearing his name — and have secured a promise that the ship will visit Ireland. The future USS Patrick Gallagher is a guided missile destroyer that is under construction at Maine’s Bath Iron Works that bears the name of the late Irish citizen and U.S. Marine. Lance Cpl. Gallagher survived falling on a grenade to save comrades, an act of heroism for which he was awarded the Navy Cross. But he died later in Vietnam. The event was held Saturday at the shipyard.