Richard Miles McCool, Jr. (January 4, 1922 – March 5, 2008) born in Tishomingo, Oklahaoma, was a United States Navy officer and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration - the Medal of Honor - for his actions during the Battle of Okinawa in World War 11.
San Antonio-class Amphibious Transport Dock USS Richard M. McCool, Jr. (LPD 29) will be commissioned on Saturday, September 7, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. CDT at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida.
Those interested in viewing the ceremony live may do so here.
Richard M. McCool, Jr. will be the 13th San Antonio-class ship commissioned in the United States Navy, and the first U.S. Navy ship to bear this namesake.
The naming of LPD 29 honors U.S. Navy Capt. Richard M. McCool, Jr., Ret., who received the Medal of Honor in 1945 for the heroism he displayed after his ship was attacked by kamikaze aircraft in the Battle of Okinawa. Despite suffering from shrapnel wounds and painful burns, he led efforts to battle a blazing fire on his ship and rescue injured sailors.
San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ships are warships that embark, transport, and land elements of a landing force for a variety of expeditionary warfare missions. They provide the Navy and Marine Corps with modern, sea-based platforms that are networked, survivable, and built to operate in the 21st century, with the MV-22 Osprey, the upgraded Amphibious Assault Vehicle, and future means by which Marines are delivered ashore.