Former Major League Baseball (MLB) players visited with Sailors aboard amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) Dec. 9.
Daniel Plesac and Ryan Dempster, now MLB network analysts, received a tour of America from Capt. Robert A. Hall Jr., commanding officer, before meeting with Sailors on the flight deck.
Plesac said:
I had no idea what Navy life was like, and to see all the hard work that goes on daily aboard this ship is simply amazing.
The former MLB stars held a pitching demonstration and played catch with Sailors on the ship’s flight deck.
After the pitching demonstration, Plesac and Dempster signed autographs, took pictures and passed out MLB memorabilia to the Sailors on board.
America is the first ship of its class, replacing the Tawara-class of amphibious assault ships. As the next generation “big-deck” amphibious ship, America is optimized for aviation, capable of supporting current and future aircraft such as the tilt-rotor MV-22 Osprey and F-35B Joint Strike Fighter.
Press release, Image: US Navy