U.S. Navy Destroyer Churchill Launched

A U.S. Navy destroyer was launched in Bath, Maine, bearing the name of former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill--an honor rarely afforded foreigners. Lady Soames, the former British leader’s only living child, joined U.S. Defense Secretary William S. Cohen, British Defense Minister George Robertson and other Churchill relatives to watch the 505-foot warship Winston S. Churchill slide down a greased ramp at the Bath Iron Works into the Kennebec River. “The naming of this ship is very special and stands out in a class of its own,” said Soames, 76, the youngest of his five children.