190412-N-BR740-1072: Left, Kate Oja and Shana McCool ship sponsors of the future USS Richard M. McCool Jr. (LPD 29), sign their initials onto a steel plate that will be fastened to the ship during the keel authentication ceremony for the ship 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)