A naval ship will bear Pittsburgh’s name for the fifth time and students in the School of Arts and Sciences got a chance to learn about the engineering behind the vessel along with the Navy’s importance in the region.

U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Thomas Anderson, who serves as Program Executive Officer of Ships, talked about the importance of engineering skills in the Navy and how the skills of Arts and Sciences students can be applied on naval ships. He is responsible for nearly every kind of ship the Navy has in their fleet and talked about the upcoming USS Pittsburgh ship.

Several members of the administration such as Director of Enrollment Marlin Collingwood and University President Chris Brusallis attended the event in Lawrence Hall.

According to his bio on the Navy’s website, Anderson graduated from Boston University with a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering, then later graduated with a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School.

Point Park also offers a Mechanical Engineering program. Mechanical engineering students as well as civil engineering students were encouraged to attend the event.

While Pittsburgh may not be the manufacturing behemoth it once was, Anderson said that the city continues to serve an important role in getting naval ships completed.

“They build the generators, they build the diesels, they build the electrical components, there’s a lot of opportunity for sure for the skill sets that you’re gaining here at school,” Anderson said.

The Navy does not build ships in Pittsburgh. Ships like the USS Pittsburgh are usually built in Mobile, Ala and Newport News, Va.

Connor Jones, a sophomore mechanical engineering major, enjoyed learning about the Navy and hopes to see more events like it in the future.

“When he said he was short staffed, it really made me think, we need more engineers out here,” Jones said. “My professors work hard to get employers down here, it’s really great to be able to connect with employers and talk to professors so easily.”

According to a press release by the Secretary of the Navy, USS Pittsburgh has existed in some form since the 1860s, with a gunboat serving during the Civil War. The second USS Pittsburgh (CA 4) was an armored cruiser that served during WWI, and a third USS Pittsburgh (CA 72) was a Baltimore-class cruiser that served during WWII – supporting the landing at Iwo Jima. The fourth USS Pittsburgh (SSN 720) was a Los Angeles-class submarine that served the Navy from Dec. 1984 to Aug 2019.

Anderson was joined by other Navy leaders such as Captain Matt Tardy, who is an engineering duty officer that designs and constructs amphibious ships. An amphibious ship is used to support forces during armed conflict and typically is grounded at one part in the sea of enemy territory.

Both Anderson and Tardy spoke about specific Navy programs and ships, such as destroyers, amphibious ships and connectors, which take marines to the shore.

The importance of the sea beyond the Navy was also part of the presentation, especially regarding transporting goods.

“70% of the Earth is covered by water but 90% of the world’s commerce goes by ship,” Anderson said. Because we’re living in such a challenged environment with what’s going on with Russia and China – and now in the Middle East – we have the need for more ships than maybe we’ve had in the past.”

Regarding the USS Pittsburgh, Anderson said that it will be too large to go through Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers. Tardy said the ship is “27.3% complete” and hopes that the ship will be finished in 2028. They hope to represent Pittsburgh properly on the ship, such as including Steelers memorabilia and colors throughout the vessel.