The Navy commissioned its newest guided-missile destroyer, the USS Thomas Hudner (DDG-116), during a 10:00 a.m. EST ceremony at Flynn Cruiseport in Boston, Massachusetts on Saturday, December 1.

The USS Thomas Hudner (DDG-116) honors naval aviator and Medal of Honor recipient Captain Thomas J. Hudner Jr. President Harry S. Truman awarded the Medal of Honor to Hudner on April 13, 1951, who displayed «conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity» for attempting to save the life of his squadron mate, Ensign Jesse L. Brown, in the Battle of Chosin Reservoir during the Korean War. Although Brown perished in the incident, Hudner survived the war and retired from the Navy after 26 years of service. He passed away November 13, 2017 at the age of 93 and was interred with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery on April 4, 2018. This will be the first U.S. Navy ship to bear the name Thomas Hudner.

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker delivered the ceremony’s principal address. The ship’s sponsors are Georgea Hudner, widow of Captain Thomas Hudner, and Barbara Miller, wife of retired Vice Admiral Michael Miller, former superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy. In a time-honored Navy tradition, they gave the order to «man our ship and bring her to life»!

«The commissioning of USS Thomas Hudner continues a spirit of faithful service that Thomas Hudner embodied throughout his life, and his legacy will live on in those who serve aboard this ship», said Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer. «USS Thomas Hudner is a testament to what the service and teamwork of all of our people – civilian, contractor and military – can accomplish together, from the start of the acquisition process, to the delivery, to the start of the first watch».

The USS Thomas Hudner (DDG-116) will be the 66th Arleigh Burke-class destroyer. The ship will be able to conduct a variety of operations, from peacetime presence and crisis management to sea control and power projection. USS Thomas Hudner (DDG-116) will be capable of engaging in air, surface and subsurface battles simultaneously and will contain a myriad of offensive and defensive weapons designed to support maritime warfare, including Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) capabilities.

USS Thomas Hudner (DDG-116) will be homeported at Naval Station Mayport, Florida.

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 96 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

Guided Missile Destroyers Lineup

Flight IIA: Technology Insertion

Ship	Yard	Launched	Commissioned	Homeport
DDG-116 Thomas Hudner	GDBIW	04-23-17	12-01-18	Mayport, Florida
DDG-117 Paul Ignatius	HIIIS	11-12-16
DDG-118 Daniel Inouye	GDBIW
DDG-119 Delbert D. Black	HIIIS	09-08-17
DDG-120 Carl M. Levin	GDBIW
DDG-121 Frank E. Peterson Jr.	HIIIS	07-13-18
DDG-122 John Basilone	GDBIW
DDG-123 Lenah H. Sutcliffe Higbee	HIIIS
DDG-124 Harvey C. Barnum Jr.	GDBIW