lead ship

The lead ship of the class, Clemenceau, was dismantled and recycled in the 2000s after a similarly contentious struggle with environmentalists.

“Usually everything goes automatic through the Wi-Fi,” he said, “and I control everything with real-time messaging I have on board the lead ship.”

The Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority said in a statement Saturday that under plans for ports to resume operations, ships would arrive and depart from the specified ports in a caravan, accompanied by a lead ship.

The class and lead ship, T-AO 205, is named in honor of Rep. John Lewis, a Georgia Democrat who died in July 2020.

The frigate — to be named the USS Congress — will be built at the company’s shipyard in Marinette, Wis. That’s also where preparatory work is being done to begin construction on the lead ship in the class by the end of the year, the USS Constellation.