US Navy vessel named after late astronaut Neil Armstrong
Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, died at the age of 82 on August 25, 2012.
The US Navy announced that it is naming a research vessel after the late astronaut Neil Armstrong.
The Auxiliary General Oceanographic Research ship (AGOR 27) is a new kind of research ship for the navy, which will help in mapping the deepest parts of the ocean using acoustic equipment.
The research vessel will not be completed until late 2014.
As Armstrong's name will be added to the first ship, the entire class of the vessel will be referred to as "Armstrong class" said Forbes.
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Before joining NASA, Armstrong served in the US Navy.
He became a naval aviator at age 20 and then became a pilot, flying 78 missions during the Korean war.
The ship named after him is currently under construction at Dakota Creek Industries Inc. in Anacortes, Wash.
Officials said that the ship will be 238 feet in length and be able to move at more than 12 knots.
When completed it will be operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts, reported NBC News.
Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, died in August at the age of 82.