190412-N-BR740-1006: The keel plate of the future USS Richard M. McCool Jr. (LPD 29) sit on a podium during the ship’s keel authentication ceremony at Huntington Ingalls Industries Pascagoula shipyard April 12. 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)