GALVESTON – At the Port of Galveston, thousands gathered to see the commissioning of the USS Gabrielle Giffords.
Many dealt with the hot and humid weather Saturday afternoon to honor the ship's namesake -- former Arizona congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.
Hillary Clinton, Joe and Jill Biden and several esteemed U.S. Navy officials sat on stage alongside Giffords to show support.
Giffords was shot in 2011 in Tucson, Arizona, but survived the assassination attempt.
“Then Secretary Mabus said, ‘We have named this ship for someone synonymous with courage -- who has inspired the nation with her remarkable resilience and showed the possibilities of the human spirit,’” said House minority leader Nancy Pelosi.
Jill Biden sponsored the ship, and Clinton addressed the large crowd at the event.
“Just as the motto ‘I am ready' represents the ship. It represents Gabby Giffords,” Clinton said. “Instead of saying what might be expected -- asking the questions, ‘Why me?’ She said, 'How can she make the most out of the life,' the miracle that she represented.”
Giffords took the stage alongside her husband retired astronaut Mark Kelly, a former Navy captain stationed in Galveston County during his NASA service.
“I’m so happy to be with you today. This is an incredible honor. The USS Giffords is strong and tough just like her crew. I thought of you in my darkest days -- the soldiers, the sailors, airmen and marines of the United States of America,” Giffords said.
She was honored by the crew.
"All of us admire her courage and her tenacity and in the Navy we need our sailors to be tough and resilient and so her example is what we hope sailors gain -- her inspiration,” said Admiral William Moran, who received the ship.
Giffords helped christen the 418 foot ship in 2015. It was made in Mobile, Alabama. It's the ninth in a series of high-speed vessels designed to navigate in shallow coastal regions known as littoral waters.