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New Navy Battleship Commissioned For New York Marine

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) -- Thousands of people turned out for a celebration of the Navy's newest destroyer and a tribute to a fallen Marine.

The commissioning of the USS Jason Dunham happened under sunny skies at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday.

The massive $1 billion steel battleship was adorned with red, white and blue flags and ribbons to mark the day.

The 510-foot-long ship was built in Bath, Maine, and will have its home port in Norfolk, Va.

It's named for a Marine corporal from New York who died in Iraq six years ago after throwing himself on a grenade to protect others.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

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