On April 1, General Dynamics Bath Iron Works christened the U.S. Navy’s newest guided-missile destroyer, USS Thomas Hudner (DDG-116). The ship is named for Captain Thomas Hudner Jr., who intentionally crash landed his plane in an effort to save Ensign Jesse Brown, the nation’s first African-American Navy pilot, during the Korean War’s Chosin Reservoir campaign.

The Saturday morning christening ceremony took place at Bath Iron Works’ shipyard and was attended by Captain Hudner as well as several members of his family and the family of Ensign Brown. Speakers included Sen. Susan Collins, Sen. Angus King, Representative Chellie Pingree and Representative Bruce Poliquin. Allison Stiller, Principal Civilian Deputy, performing the duties and functions of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition, was the principal speaker.

Georgea F. Hudner, wife of the namesake, and Barbara Joan Miller, wife of Vice Admiral Michael Miller, former superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy, are the ship’s sponsors and officially christened the ship by breaking bottles of sparkling wine against its bow.

Dirk Lesko, president of General Dynamics Bath Iron Works, said «Our sailors and Marines depend on the tools we give them to perform when put to the test. When the future USS Thomas Hudner goes to sea as part of the Navy fleet, it will do so with the fearless spirit of an American hero backed by the promise of Maine’s shipbuilders that Bath Built is Best Built».

The keel for USS Thomas Hudner (DDG-116), the 36th Arleigh Burke-class destroyer built by Bath Iron Works, was laid on November 16, 2015.

Guided-missile destroyers are multi-mission surface combatants capable of conducting Anti-Air Warfare (AAW), Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW), and Anti-Surface Warfare (ASUW). Destroyers can operate independently or as part of carrier strike groups, surface action groups, amphibious ready groups, and underway replenishment groups.

 

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

 

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	04-01-17
DDG-117 Paul Ignatius	HIIIS	11-12-16
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