Story highlights The 610-foot, 15,000 ton USS Michael Monsoor is the U.S. Navy's second Zumwalt-class guided missile destroyer.

Saturday's christening served as another tribute to Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Monsoor

(CNN) Standing before a crowd of nearly 2,000 in Bath, Maine, Sally Monsoor, the mother of fallen Navy SEAL Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Monsoor, honored her son Saturday by christening the ship that will bear his name.

The 610-foot, 15,000-ton USS Michael Monsoor is the U.S. Navy's second Zumwalt-class guided-missile destroyer, named in tribute of Monsoor, who was killed in 2006 during the Battle for Ramadi when he leaped on a grenade to protect his comrades.

President George W. Bush posthumously awarded Monsoor the Medal of Honor in 2008, making him the first SEAL to receive the award for actions in Iraq.

The christening served as another tribute to Monsoor, whose "legacy will live on as this great ship conducts its mission in defense of our nation," said Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who spoke during the ceremony.

"Michael Monsoor made the ultimate sacrifice, and he did it for love. But he was not a hero. He is a hero. Because the inspiration he provided to all of us -- the guidance he provided to us -- as to how we should live our lives is still alive. And it's going to live as long as this ship sails the seas of the world," Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, said during his remarks.

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