Acceptance Trials

Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division announced today it successfully completed the third and final round of sea trials for the guided missile destroyer USS John Finn (DDG-113). The Arleigh Burke-class (DDG-51) destroyer spent two days in the Gulf of Mexico testing the ship’s various systems for acceptance trials.

The five-inch Mk-45 naval gun system aboard the destroyer USS John Finn (DDG-113) was tested during the second of three planned sea trials in the Gulf of Mexico (Photo by Andrew Young/HII)
The five-inch Mk-45 naval gun system aboard the destroyer USS John Finn (DDG-113) was tested during the second of three planned sea trials in the Gulf of Mexico (Photo by Andrew Young/HII)

«The success of DDG-113 acceptance trials moves us one step closer to delivering a quality, state-of-the-art surface combatant to the U.S. Navy», said Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Cuccias. «For nearly three decades, the DDG-51 program has served as the backbone of our shipyard, and today we are proud to continue that legacy. Our shipbuilders are eager to show our U.S. Navy customer the positive impact of a skilled workforce and a hot production line can have on the DDG-51 program».

The U.S. Navy’s Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) spent time onboard evaluating the ship’s overall performance during the final set of sea trials. The USS Navy required three sea trials as part of the restart effort on the DDG-51 program. Now shipbuilders will put the final finishing touches on the ship for its delivery in December.

«The shipbuilders are ready to get back to work on DDG-113», said George Nungesser, Ingalls’ DDG program manager. «They know acceptance trials are a vital part of the process, but it’s not the end of the road. Our shipbuilders take pride in what they do every day because they know how important these ships are to the defense of the nation and to the safety of sailors serving aboard them».

USS John Finn DDG-113 is named in honor of the U.S. Navy’s first Medal of Honor recipient of World War II. John Finn received the honor for machine-gunning Japanese warplanes for over two hours during the December 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, despite being shot in the foot and shoulder and suffering numerous shrapnel wounds. He retired as a lieutenant after 30 years of service and died at age 100 in 2010.

Ingalls has delivered 28 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers to the U.S. Navy. Other destroyers currently under construction at Ingalls include USS Ralph Johnson (DDG-114), USS Paul Ignatius (DDG-117), USS Delbert D. Black (DDG-119) and USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG-121). Construction of USS Lenah H. Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG-123) is scheduled to begin in the second quarter of 2017.

Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are capable, multi-mission ships and can conduct a variety of operations, from peacetime presence and crisis management to sea control and power projection, all in support of the United States’ military strategy. The guided missile destroyers are capable of simultaneously fighting air, surface and subsurface battles. The ship contains myriad offensive and defensive weapons designed to support maritime defense needs well into the 21st century.

During Bravo sea trials on the Aegis destroyer USS John Finn (DDG-113) October 24-26, Ingalls’ test and trial personnel were able to fire one SM-2 missile each from the ship’s forward and after Mk-41 Vertical Launch System (VLS)

 

Ship Characteristics

Length Overall 510 feet/156 m
Beam – Waterline 59 feet/18 m
Draft 30.5 feet/9.3 m
Displacement – Full Load 9,217 tons/9,363 metric tons
Power Plant 4 General electric LM 2500-30 gas turbines; 2 shafts; 2 CRP (Contra-Rotating) propellers; 100,000 shaft horsepower/75,000 kW
Speed in excess of 30 knots/34.5 mph/55.5 km/h
Range 4,400 NM/8,149 km at 20 knots/23 mph/37 km/h
Crew 380 total: 32 Officers, 27 CPO (Chief Petty Officer), 321 OEM
Surveillance SPY-1D Phased Array Radar and Aegis Combat System (Lockheed Martin); SPS-73(V) Navigation; SPS-67(V)3 Surface Search; 3 SPG-62 Illuminator; SQQ-89(V)6 sonar incorporating SQS-53C hull mounted and SQR-19 towed array sonars used with Mark-116 Mod 7 ASW fire control system
Electronics/Countermeasures SLQ-32(V)3; Mark-53 Mod 0 Decoy System; Mark-234 Decoy System; SLQ-25A Torpedo Decoy; SLQ-39 Surface Decoy; URN-25 TACAN; UPX-29 IFF System; Kollmorgen Mark-46 Mod 1 Electro-Optical Director
Aircraft 2 embarked SH-60 helicopters ASW operations; RAST (Recovery Assist, Secure and Traverse)
Armament 2 Mark-41 Vertical Launching System (VLS) with 90 Standard, Vertical Launch ASROC (Anti-Submarine Rocket) & Tomahawk ASM (Air-to-Surface Missile)/LAM (Loitering Attack Missile); 5-in (127-mm)/54 (62) Mark-45 gun; 2 (1) CIWS (Close-In Weapon System); 2 Mark-32 triple 324-mm torpedo tubes for Mark-46 or Mark-50 ASW torpedos
The guided missile destroyer USS John Finn (DDG-113) recently completed the last of three planned sea trials and is scheduled for delivery to the U.S. Navy in December (Photo by Andrew Young/HII)
The guided missile destroyer USS John Finn (DDG-113) recently completed the last of three planned sea trials and is scheduled for delivery to the U.S. Navy in December (Photo by Andrew Young/HII)

 

Guided Missile Destroyers Lineup

 

Flight IIA: Restart

Ship Yard Launched Commissioned Homeport
DDG-113 John Finn HIIIS 03-28-15
DDG-114 Ralph Johnson HIIIS 12-12-15
DDG-115 Rafael Peralta GDBIW 10-31-15

 

Flight IIA: Technology Insertion

Ship Yard Launched Commissioned Homeport
DDG-116 Thomas Hudner GDBIW
DDG-117 Paul Ignatius HIIIS
DDG-118 Daniel Inouye GDBIW
DDG-119 Delbert D. Black HIIIS
DDG-120 Carl M. Levin GDBIW
DDG-121 Frank E. Peterson Jr. HIIIS
DDG-122 John Basilone GDBIW
DDG-123 Lenah H. Sutcliffe Higbee HIIIS

 

Flight III

Ship Yard Launched Commissioned Homeport
DDG-124 Harvey C. Barnum, Jr. GDBIW
DDG-125 Jack H. Lucas HIIIS
DDG-126 Louis H. Wilson, Jr. GDBIW
The 510-foot/156-meter long Paul Ignatius (DDG-117) was translated across land in preparation for launch
The 510-foot/156-meter long Paul Ignatius (DDG-117) was translated across land in preparation for launch