Lihu‘e Native Courtney Doliente serves aboard USS Somerset

‘My time in the Navy has been well spent,’ Petty Officer 2nd Class Courtney Doliente said. ‘I have had the opportunity to see places I never thought I would, and at the same time I have paved a path for me to get an education and invest in my future.’

A 2003 Kaua‘i High School graduate and Lihu‘e native is serving aboard USS Somerset, one of the world’s most modern, networked, survivable and transformational platforms.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Courtney Doliente is an interior communications electrician aboard the San Diego-based ship, a San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock, that is longer than 2 football fields long at nearly 684 feet long.

The ship is 105 feet wide and weighs more than 25,000 tons. Four diesel engines can push the ship through the water at more than 24 mph.

Like her sister ships, USS New York and Arlington, USS Somerset is named in commemoration of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.

The name honors the passengers and crew of United Airlines Flight 93 whose actions prevented terrorist hijackers from reaching their intended target, forcing the airplane to crash near Shanksville, Somerset County, Pa.

Approximately 22 tons of steel from a crane that stood near Flight 93′s crash site was used to construct Somerset’s bow stem, embodying the strength and determination of the people of the United States: to recover, to rally, to take the fight to the enemy.

As a 29 year-old with numerous responsibilities, Doliente said she is learning about herself as a leader, Sailor and a person. She added that she is excited to be in the Navy, and serving aboard Somerset.

The Navy’s newest amphibious transport dock ship USS Somerset passes Naval Air Station North Island as it makes it way to its new homeport at Naval Base San Diego on April 21, 2014.

“Every day is a constant reminder of that day,” Doliente said. “The crew and passengers of flight 93 carried themselves with pride and we strive to uphold that pride in everything we do.”

She also said she is proud of the work she is doing as part of the Somerset’s 361-member crew, protecting America on the world’s oceans.

“I am happy to part of this crew,” Doliente said. “Being in the Navy you develop a bond with the people you serve with. It’s a bond that isn’t easily broken and can last a lifetime.”

Sailors’ jobs are highly varied aboard USS Somerset. Approximately 28 officers, 333 enlisted men and women and 3 Marines make up the ship’s company, which keeps all parts of the ship running smoothly — this includes everything from washing dishes and preparing meals to handling weaponry and maintaining the engines. Another 700-800 or so form the Embarked Landing Force, the Marines and their equipment.

The ninth San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship, the USS Somerset is named in honor of the crew and passengers of United Airlines Flight 93 that crashed near Shanksville, Pa., in Somerset County during the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

“A ship is but a steel vessel, it is the crew that brings a ship to life. USS Somerset is truly a fine warship and this crew that mans her is second to none. The Sailors and Marines of Somerset have been working diligently to prepare this war ship. Through our service in the United States Navy, we will strive to honor those who have sacrificed so much to preserve the freedoms we cherish today,” said Capt. Thomas L. Dearborn, the ship’s commanding officer.

“For an officer in the United States Navy to be entrusted with the awesome responsibility of command is humbling. It is truly an honor and privilege to have the opportunity to serve as USS Somerset’s first commanding officer. Every day, I feel an unparalleled sense of pride working alongside the nation’s finest Sailors and Marines.”

The Ingalls-built amphibious transport dock ship Pre-Commissioning Unit Somerset transits the Gulf of Mexico during builder’s sea trials.

Amphibious transport dock ships are warships that embark, transport, and land elements of a landing force for a variety of expeditionary warfare missions. They are used to transport and land Marines, their equipment and supplies by embarked air cushion or conventional landing craft and Expeditionary Fighting Vehicles (EFV) or Amphibious Assault Vehicles augmented by helicopters or vertical take-off and landing aircraft. These ships support amphibious assault, special operations or expeditionary warfare missions and can serve as secondary aviation platforms for amphibious ready groups.

As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most versatile combat ships, Doliente and other USS Somerset sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes.

“My time in the Navy has been well spent,” Petty Officer 2nd Class Courtney Doliente said. “I have had the opportunity to see places I never thought I would, and at the same time I have paved a path for me to get an education and invest in my future.”