Tag Archives: Arleigh Burke-class

Navy

Keel-laying ceremony

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The keel for the future USS Louis H. Wilson Jr. (DDG-126), a Flight III Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, was ceremonially laid at Bath Iron Works, May 16.

USS Louis H. Wilson Jr. (DDG-126)
Keel Authenticated for Future USS Louis H. Wilson Jr. (DDG-126)

The ship is named for Marine Corps Commandant, General Louis Hugh Wilson Jr., a World War II and Vietnam War veteran who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism during the Battle of Guam. Following his service in Vietnam, he served as the 26th Commandant of the Marine Corps from 1975 to 1979.

The contemporary keel laying ceremony represents the joining together of a ship’s major modular components at the land level, and is a significant milestone in the production of a ship. The keel is authenticated with the ship sponsors’ initials etched into a ceremonial keel plate that is later incorporated into the ship. Co-sponsors of DDG-126 are Doctor Susan Rabern and Mrs. Janet Wilson Taylor, General Louis H. Wilson’s first daughter.

The event commemorated the first Flight III ship to be ceremonially laid down at Bath Iron Works.

«We are proud to reach this important milestone in the production of the future USS Louis H. Wilson Jr.», said Captain Seth Miller, DDG-51-class program manager, Program Executive Office (PEO) Ships. «This great warship will carry the legacy of General Wilson’s unwavering commitment and service to our country».

The DDG-51 Flight III upgrade is centered on the AN/SPY-6(V)1 Air and Missile Defense Radar and incorporates upgrades to the electrical power and cooling capacity plus additional associated changes to provide greatly enhanced warfighting capability to the fleet.

Bath Iron Works is currently under contract to build 10 destroyers, and is currently in various stages of construction on the future USS John Basilone (DDG-122), USS Harvey C. Barnum Jr. (DDG-124), USS Patrick Gallagher (DDG-127), USS William Charette (DDG-130), and USS Quentin Walsh (DDG-132).

As one of the Defense Department’s largest acquisition organizations, PEO Ships is responsible for executing the development and procurement of all destroyers, amphibious ships, sealift ships, support ships, boats and craft.

 

CHARACTERISTICS

Length Overall 510 feet/160 m
Beam – Waterline 66 feet/20 m
Draft 30.5 feet/9.3 m
Displacement – Full Load 9,700 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 AN/SPY-6 AESA 3D radar (Raytheon Company) and Aegis Combat System (Lockheed Martin); SPS-73(V)12 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)/62 Mark-45 gun; 2 (1) CIWS (Close-In Weapon System); 2 Mark-32 triple 324-mm torpedo tubes for Mark-46, Mark-50 ASW torpedos or Mark 54 Lightweight Torpedo

 

Guided Missile Destroyers Lineup

 

Flight III

Ship Yard Launched Commissioned Homeport
DDG-125 Jack H. Lucas HIIIS 06-04-21 San Diego, California
DDG-126 Louis H. Wilson, Jr. GDBIW
DDG-128 Ted Stevens HIIIS
DDG-129 Jeremiah Denton HIIIS
DDG-130 William Charette GDBIW
DDG-131 George M. Neal HIIIS
DDG-132 Quentin Walsh GDBIW
DDG-133 Sam Nunn HIIIS
DDG-134 John E. Kilmer GDBIW
DDG-135 Thad Cochran HIIIS
DDG-136 Richard G. Lugar GDBIW
DDG-137 John F. Lehman HIIIS
DDG-138 GDBIW
DDG-139 Telesforo Trinidad HIIIS
DDG-140 Thomas G. Kelley

 

Navy

Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee

The U.S. Navy commissioned its newest Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, USS Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG-123), during a 10:00 a.m. EDT ceremony on Saturday, May 13, in Key West, Florida.

USS Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG-123)
Navy Commissioned Guided-Missile Destroyer USS Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG-123)

Rear Admiral Cynthia Kuehner, Commander, Naval Medical Forces Support Command and Director of the U.S. Navy Nurse Corps, delivered the commissioning ceremony’s principal address. Remarks were also been provided by the Honorable Donald Norcross, U.S. Representative, New Jersey’s 1st District and member of the House Armed Services Committee; the Honorable Carlos Del Toro, Secretary of the U.S. Navy; Admiral Mike Gilday, Chief of Naval Operations; the Honorable Teri Johnston, mayor of Key West; and Ms. Kari Wilkinson, president of Huntington Ingalls Industries-Ingalls Shipbuilding division. The ship’s sponsors, Ms. Louisa Dixon, Ms. Virginia Munford, and Ms. R. Pickett Wilson, also were in attendance.

The ship’s namesake, Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee, served as the second Superintendent of the Navy Nurse Corps in 1911, and was also the first woman recipient of the Navy Cross. When she entered naval service in 1908, she was one of the first 20 women, known as the «Sacred Twenty», to join the newly established Navy Nurse Corps and contributed her nursing skills to the U.S. Navy during the First World War. This is the second ship named after Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee. The first ship, USS Higbee (DD-806), was the first combat warship named after a female member of the U.S. Navy.

«Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee was ahead of her time, from being one of the first members of the Navy Nurse Corps, to being its second Superintendent, to being the first woman to earn the Navy Cross», said Secretary of the U.S. Navy Carlos Del Toro. «I am confident that the crew who will sail USS Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee will continue to honor and embody her trailblazing legacy».

The ship will be the 73d Arleigh Burke-class destroyer to be commissioned, with 17 additional ships currently under contract for the DDG-51 program. The ship is configured as a Flight IIA Technology Insertion destroyer, which enables power projection and delivers quick reaction time, high firepower, and increased electronic countermeasures capability for anti-air warfare. The future USS Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG-123) will be 509.5 feet/155.3 m long and 59 feet/18 m wide, with a displacement of 9,496 tons. It will be homeported in San Diego.

 

Ship Characteristics

Length Overall 510 feet/156 m
Beam – Waterline 59 feet/18 m
Draft 31 feet/9.5 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 (Lockheed Martin)/AN/SPY-6 Air and Missile Defense Radar (Raytheon Company) 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 07-27-19 Mayport, Florida
DDG-118 Daniel Inouye GDBIW 10-27-19 12-08-21 Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
DDG-119 Delbert D. Black HIIIS 09-08-17 09-26-20 Mayport, Florida
DDG-120 Carl M. Levin GDBIW 05-16-21 Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
DDG-121 Frank E. Peterson Jr. HIIIS 07-13-18 05-14-22 Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
DDG-122 John Basilone GDBIW 06-12-22
DDG-123 Lenah H. Sutcliffe Higbee HIIIS 01-27-20 05-13-23 San Diego, California
DDG-124 Harvey C. Barnum Jr. GDBIW
DDG-127 Patrick Gallagher GDBIW

 

Navy

Builder’s sea trials

Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division announced on December 19, 2022 the successful completion of builder’s sea trials for guided missile destroyer USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG-125). The Arleigh Burke-class destroyer spent several days in the Gulf of Mexico with Ingalls’ test and trials team operating the ship and performing an extensive list of test events.

USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG-125)
HII successfully completes builder’s sea trials for destroyer USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG-125)

During the sea trials, the team successfully accomplished the hull, mechanical, and electrical tests, conducted the first in class Flight III events with the SPY-6 arrays and tested the machinery control system to ensure remote operability of the new electric plant.

«Getting DDG-125 underway is a significant milestone in keeping this first Flight III ship on schedule, and reflects the hard work and dedication of our combined Ingalls and Navy team to ensure successful sea trials», Ingalls Shipbuilding President Kari Wilkinson said. «We are all very happy with how DDG-125 performed, and we look forward to delivering this highly advanced ship to the Navy».

USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG-125) is the first Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyer being built for the U.S. Navy by Ingalls. DDG-125 features enhanced detection and engagement of targets, as well as ballistic missile defense capability. The Flight III upgrade incorporates a number of design modifications that collectively provide significantly enhanced capability.

Ingalls has delivered 34 destroyers to the U.S. Navy, with five currently under construction including DDG-125, USS Ted Stevens (DDG-128), USS Jeremiah Denton (DDG-129), USS George M. Neal (DDG-131) and USS Sam Nunn (DDG-133). USS Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG-123) was delivered to the Navy by Ingalls on November 30 and will leave the shipyard early next year.

Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are highly 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. Guided missile destroyers are capable of simultaneously fighting air, surface and subsurface battles. The ship contains a myriad of offensive and defensive weapons designed to support maritime defense needs well into the 21st century.

 

CHARACTERISTICS

Length Overall 510 feet/160 m
Beam – Waterline 66 feet/20 m
Draft 30.5 feet/9.3 m
Displacement – Full Load 9,700 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 AN/SPY-6 AESA 3D radar (Raytheon Company) and Aegis Combat System (Lockheed Martin); SPS-73(V)12 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)/62 Mark-45 gun; 2 (1) CIWS (Close-In Weapon System); 2 Mark-32 triple 324-mm torpedo tubes for Mark-46, Mark-50 ASW torpedos or Mark 54 Lightweight Torpedo

 

Guided Missile Destroyers Lineup

 

Flight III

Ship Yard Launched Commissioned Homeport
DDG-125 Jack H. Lucas HIIIS 06-04-21 San Diego, California
DDG-126 Louis H. Wilson, Jr. GDBIW
DDG-128 Ted Stevens HIIIS
DDG-129 Jeremiah Denton HIIIS
DDG-130 William Charette GDBIW
DDG-131 George M. Neal HIIIS
DDG-132 Quentin Walsh GDBIW
DDG-133 Sam Nunn HIIIS
DDG-134 John E. Kilmer GDBIW
DDG-135 Thad Cochran HIIIS
DDG-136 Richard G. Lugar GDBIW
DDG-137 John F. Lehman HIIIS
DDG-138 GDBIW
DDG-139 Telesforo Trinidad HIIIS

 

Navy

Start of Fabrication

The Navy and Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) marked the start of fabrication for the future USS Sam Nunn (DDG-133) with a ceremony at HII’s shipyard on December 12.

USS Sam Nunn (DDG-133)
Future USS Sam Nunn (DDG-133) Marks Start of Fabrication

The USS Sam Nunn (DDG-133) will be a DDG-51 Flight III guided missile destroyer centered on the AN/SPY-6(V)1 Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR) and will provide greatly enhanced warfighting capability to the fleet. The Flight III baseline begins with DDGs 125-126 and continues with DDG-128 and follow on ships.

The ship is named for Samuel Augustus Nunn Jr., a United States Senator who represented Georgia from 1972 to 1997 and served as Chairman of the United States Senate Committee on Armed Services and the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations.

«The future USS Sam Nunn will provide 21st Century offensive and defensive warfighting capabilities for decades to come», said Captain Seth Miller, DDG-51 program manager, Program Executive Office (PEO) Ships.

In addition to Sam Nunn, HII’s Pascagoula shipyard is also currently in production on future destroyers USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG-125), USS Ted Stevens (DDG-128), USS Jeremiah Denton (DDG-129), and USS George M. Neal (DDG-131).

As one of the Defense Department’s largest acquisition organizations, PEO Ships is responsible for executing the development and procurement of all destroyers, amphibious ships, special mission and support ships, boats and craft.

 

CHARACTERISTICS

Length Overall 510 feet/160 m
Beam – Waterline 66 feet/20 m
Draft 30.5 feet/9.3 m
Displacement – Full Load 9,700 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 AN/SPY-6 AESA 3D radar (Raytheon Company) and Aegis Combat System (Lockheed Martin); SPS-73(V)12 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)/62 Mark-45 gun; 2 (1) CIWS (Close-In Weapon System); 2 Mark-32 triple 324-mm torpedo tubes for Mark-46, Mark-50 ASW torpedos or Mark 54 Lightweight Torpedo

 

Guided Missile Destroyers Lineup

 

Flight III

Ship Yard Launched Commissioned Homeport
DDG-125 Jack H. Lucas HIIIS 06-04-21 San Diego, California
DDG-126 Louis H. Wilson, Jr. GDBIW
DDG-128 Ted Stevens HIIIS
DDG-129 Jeremiah Denton HIIIS
DDG-130 William Charette GDBIW
DDG-131 George M. Neal HIIIS
DDG-132 Quentin Walsh GDBIW
DDG-133 Sam Nunn HIIIS
DDG-134 John E. Kilmer GDBIW
DDG-135 Thad Cochran HIIIS
DDG-136 Richard G. Lugar GDBIW
DDG-137 John F. Lehman HIIIS
DDG-138 GDBIW
DDG-139 Telesforo Trinidad HIIIS

 

Navy

Acceptance Trials

USS Carl M. Levin (DDG-120) completed Acceptance Trials on Friday, December 9, 2022 with a General Dynamics Bath Iron Works (GDBIW) operating crew demonstrating a number of ship systems for the Navy’s Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) over three days in the Gulf of Maine.

USS Carl M. Levin (DDG-120)
Future USS Carl M. Levin (DDG-120) Completes Acceptance Trials

«Carl M. Levin reflects well on the dedication of all the shipbuilders who have contributed to its success», said Bath Iron Works President Chuck Krugh. «We look forward to delivery of this fine ship to the U.S. Navy».

During Acceptance Trials, a Bath Iron Works crew operates the ship and demonstrates its hull, mechanical and electrical systems perform as expected. The INSURV team determines whether the ship’s systems are operational prior to the U.S. Navy taking delivery.

DDG-120 is named for former Michigan Senator Carl M. Levin, longtime chairman and ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee who helped oversee adoption of the National Defense Authorization Act, the blueprint for the nation’s military spending, over 35 consecutive years.

Bath Iron Works currently has under construction the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers USS John Basilone (DDG-122), USS Harvey C. Barnum Jr. (DDG-124) and USS Patrick Gallagher (DDG-127) as well as the Flight III configuration destroyers USS Louis H. Wilson Jr. (DDG-126), USS William Charette (DDG-130) and USS Quentin Walsh (DDG-132).

 

Ship Characteristics

 

Length Overall 510 feet/156 m
Beam – Waterline 59 feet/18 m
Draft 31 feet/9.5 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 (Lockheed Martin)/AN/SPY-6 Air and Missile Defense Radar (Raytheon Company) 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 07-27-19 Mayport, Florida
DDG-118 Daniel Inouye GDBIW 10-27-19 12-08-21 Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
DDG-119 Delbert D. Black HIIIS 09-08-17 09-26-20 Mayport, Florida
DDG-120 Carl M. Levin GDBIW 05-16-21 Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
DDG-121 Frank E. Peterson Jr. HIIIS 07-13-18 05-14-22 Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
DDG-122 John Basilone GDBIW 06-12-22
DDG-123 Lenah H. Sutcliffe Higbee HIIIS 01-27-20
DDG-124 Harvey C. Barnum Jr. GDBIW
DDG-127 Patrick Gallagher GDBIW

 

Navy

Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee

Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division delivered the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG-123) to the U.S. Navy on December 1, 2022. Delivery of DDG-123 represents the official transfer of the ship from the shipbuilder to the U.S. Navy.

USS Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG-123)
HII delivers destroyer USS Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG-123) to U.S. Navy

«Delivering an incredibly capable finished ship to the U.S. Navy is always an important event for our Ingalls team», said Kari Wilkinson, president of Ingalls Shipbuilding. «We are absolutely committed to the work that we do for our customers, communities and country».

USS Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG-123) is the 34th Arleigh Burke-class destroyer Ingalls has delivered to the U.S. Navy and will be the final Flight IIA ship built at Ingalls as the U.S. Navy transitions to Flight III destroyers. Ingalls currently has in production the future Arleigh Burke-class Flight III destroyers USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG-125), USS Ted Stevens (DDG-128), USS Jeremiah Denton (DDG-129) and USS George M. Neal (DDG-131).

Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are highly capable, multi-mission ships that can conduct a variety of operations, from peacetime presence and crisis management to sea control and power projection, all in support of the national defense strategy. Guided missile destroyers are capable of simultaneously fighting air, surface and subsurface battles. These ships contain a myriad of offensive and defensive weapons designed to support maritime defense needs well into the 21st century.

DDG-123 is named to honor Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee, a Navy nurse and first woman to receive the Navy Cross for her heroic actions during World War I. Higbee joined the Navy in October 1908 as part of the newly established Navy Nurse Corps, a group of women who would become known as «The Sacred Twenty», and became the second superintendent of the Navy Nurse Corps in January 1911. The ships motto truly reflects the heritage of this naval hero – Bellatrix illa, meaning «she is a warrior».

 

Ship Characteristics

 

Length Overall 510 feet/156 m
Beam – Waterline 59 feet/18 m
Draft 31 feet/9.5 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 (Lockheed Martin)/AN/SPY-6 Air and Missile Defense Radar (Raytheon Company) 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 07-27-19 Mayport, Florida
DDG-118 Daniel Inouye GDBIW 10-27-19 12-08-21 Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
DDG-119 Delbert D. Black HIIIS 09-08-17 09-26-20 Mayport, Florida
DDG-120 Carl M. Levin GDBIW 05-16-21 Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
DDG-121 Frank E. Peterson Jr. HIIIS 07-13-18 05-14-22 Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
DDG-122 John Basilone GDBIW 06-12-22
DDG-123 Lenah H. Sutcliffe Higbee HIIIS 01-27-20
DDG-124 Harvey C. Barnum Jr. GDBIW
DDG-127 Patrick Gallagher GDBIW

 

Navy

Keel Authenticated

The keel for the future USS Jeremiah Denton (DDG-129), a Flight III Arleigh-Burke class destroyer was ceremonially laid at Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division, August 16.

USS Jeremiah Denton (DDG-129)
Ingalls welder Troy Maddox traces the sponsors’ initials on a keel plate that will be permanently placed in USS Jeremiah Denton (DDG-129) on August 16, 2022 at Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division, Pascagoula, Mississippi. Looking on are, from left, U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, Mississippi, Ship Sponsors Mary Denton Lewis and Madeleine Denton Doak; Commander Chris Carroll, PMS 400 representative; and Kari Wilkinson, Ingalls Shipbuilding president

The ship is named for former Senator Jeremiah Denton, Jr., a Vietnam War veteran who was awarded the Navy Cross for his heroism as a prisoner of war. Following his Navy career, he was elected to the U.S. Senate representing his home state of Alabama in 1980.

The contemporary keel laying ceremony represents the joining together of a ship’s modular components at the land level. The keel is authenticated with the ship sponsors’ initials etched into a ceremonial keel plate as part of the ceremony. Co-sponsors of DDG-129 are the daughters of the namesake, Madeline Denton Doak and Mary Denton Lewis.

«We are honored to build a ship named for the late Senator Denton and to have his family present to celebrate this important milestone on the path to delivering another Flight III destroyer to the Fleet», said Captain Seth Miller, DDG-51 class program manager, Program Executive Office (PEO) Ships. «The USS Jeremiah Denton (DDG-129) is the Navy’s next great warship, which will provide power projection with the latest advanced combat capability».

The DDG-51 Flight III upgrade is centered on the AN/SPY-6(V)1 Air and Missile Defense Radar and incorporates upgrades to the electrical power and cooling capacity plus additional associated changes to provide greatly enhanced warfighting capability to the fleet. Flight III is the latest Flight upgrade in the more than 30-year history of the class, building on the proud legacy of Flight I, II and IIA ships before it.

HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding is also in production on the future USS Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG-123), the future USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG-125), the future USS Ted Stevens (DDG-128) and the future USS George M. Neal (DDG-131).

As one of the Defense Department’s largest acquisition organizations, PEO Ships is responsible for executing the development and procurement of all destroyers, amphibious ships, sealift ships, support ships, boats and craft.

 

CHARACTERISTICS

Length Overall 510 feet/160 m
Beam – Waterline 66 feet/20 m
Draft 30.5 feet/9.3 m
Displacement – Full Load 9,700 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 AN/SPY-6 AESA 3D radar (Raytheon Company) and Aegis Combat System (Lockheed Martin); SPS-73(V)12 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)/62 Mark-45 gun; 2 (1) CIWS (Close-In Weapon System); 2 Mark-32 triple 324-mm torpedo tubes for Mark-46, Mark-50 ASW torpedoes or Mark 54 Lightweight Torpedo

 

Guided Missile Destroyers Lineup

 

Flight III

Ship Yard Launched Commissioned Homeport
DDG-125 Jack H. Lucas HIIIS 06-04-21 San Diego, California
DDG-126 Louis H. Wilson, Jr. GDBIW
DDG-128 Ted Stevens HIIIS
DDG-129 Jeremiah Denton HIIIS
DDG-130 William Charette GDBIW
DDG-131 George M. Neal HIIIS
DDG-132 Quentin Walsh GDBIW
DDG-133 Sam Nunn HIIIS
DDG-134 John E. Kilmer GDBIW
DDG-135 Thad Cochran HIIIS
DDG-136 Richard G. Lugar GDBIW
DDG-137 John F. Lehman HIIIS
DDG-138 GDBIW
DDG-139 Telesforo Trinidad HIIIS

 

Navy

Keel Authenticated

The keel for the future USS Patrick Gallagher (DDG-127), was ceremonially laid at General Dynamics Bath Iron Works (BIW), March 30.

USS Patrick Gallagher (DDG-127)
Keel Authenticated for Future USS Patrick Gallagher (DDG-127)

The ship is named for Marine Corps Corporal Patrick Gallagher, who received the Navy Cross for heroism during the Vietnam War when he managed to jump on and throw an enemy grenade into a river. He was killed in action just one year later. The keel laying marks the 55th anniversary of his death.

A contemporary keel laying ceremony recognizes the moment of a ship’s construction when two significant pieces of the hull structure are welded together and joined, constituting a major portion of the ship’s shape. The authentication or etching of the ship sponsors’ initials into a ceremonial keel plate will take place during the ceremony. The sponsors of USS Patrick Gallagher (DDG-127) are Gallagher’s three sisters: Teresa Keegan, Rosemarie Gallagher, and Pauline Gallagher.

«The future USS Patrick Gallagher (DDG-127) will strengthen our maritime dominance and bring proven capability to the fleet», said Captain Seth Miller, DDG-51 class program manager, Program Executive Office (PEO) Ships. «This ship and all who serve aboard it will be a reminder of the steadfast commitment to our country that Corporal Gallagher exhibited».

The final Arleigh Burke-class destroyer built in the Flight IIA configuration, USS Patrick Gallagher (DDG-127) is equipped with the Aegis Baseline 9C2 Combat System, which brings crucial Ballistic Missile Defense capabilities to the Fleet in addition to the ship’s primary missions of anti-air, anti-surface, anti-submarine, and strike warfare.

BIW is also currently in production on the future USS Carl M. Levin (DDG-120), USS John Basilone (DDG-122), USS Harvey C. Barnum Jr. (DDG-124), USS Louis H. Wilson Jr. (DDG-126), USS William Charette (DDG-130), and USS Quentin Walsh (DDG-132).

As one of the Defense Department’s largest acquisition organizations, PEO Ships is responsible for executing the development and procurement of all destroyers, amphibious ships, sealift ships, support ships, boats and craft.

 

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 (Lockheed Martin)/AN/SPY-6 Air and Missile Defense Radar (Raytheon Company) 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 07-27-19 Mayport, Florida
DDG-118 Daniel Inouye GDBIW 10-27-19 12-08-21 Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
DDG-119 Delbert D. Black HIIIS 09-08-17 09-26-20 Mayport, Florida
DDG-120 Carl M. Levin GDBIW 05-16-21
DDG-121 Frank E. Peterson Jr. HIIIS 07-13-18
DDG-122 John Basilone GDBIW
DDG-123 Lenah H. Sutcliffe Higbee HIIIS 01-27-20
DDG-124 Harvey C. Barnum Jr. GDBIW
DDG-127 Patrick Gallagher GDBIW

 

Navy

Christening of Lucas

The U.S. Navy christened the future USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG-125), the first Flight III Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, during a 9:55 a.m. CDT ceremony on Saturday, March 26, in Pascagoula, Mississippi.

USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG-125)
Navy christened guided-missile destroyer USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG-125)

Jacklyn Harold «Jack» Lucas, the ship’s namesake, served as a U.S. Marine during World War II and was awarded the Medal of Honor at the age of 17, making him the youngest recipient. Private First Class Lucas received the award during the Iwo Jima campaign when he hurled himself on two grenades to absorb the explosion with his own body and protect his fellow Marines. Surviving the blast, Lucas lived until June 5, 2008, when he died from cancer. The future USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG-125) is the first combat warship to bear his name.

Admiral Michael Gilday, Chief of Naval Operations, delivered the christening ceremony’s principal address. The Honorable Roger Wicker, U.S. Senator from Mississippi; the Honorable Steven Palazzo, U.S. Representative from Mississippi’s Fourth District; the Honorable Meredith Berger, Performing the Duties of the Under Secretary of the U.S. Navy; Major General Jason Bohm, Commanding General, Marine Corps Recruiting Command; and Ms. Kari Wilkinson, President of Ingalls Shipbuilding also provided remarks. In a time-honored Navy tradition, the ship’s sponsors, Ms. Ruby Lucas and Ms. Catherine B. Reynolds, christened the ship by breaking a bottle of sparkling wine across the bow.

«The future USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG-125) will serve as a constant reminder of the immense impact actions taken by any one Sailor or Marine can truly have», said Secretary of the U.S. Navy Carlos Del Toro. «Private First Class Lucas is a national hero and this ship and crew will honor his legacy for decades to come».

The ship will be the 75th Arleigh Burke-class destroyer and is one of 20 ships currently under contract for the DDG-51 program. The Flight III upgrade is centered on the AN/SPY-6(V)1 Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR). It incorporates upgrades to the electrical power and cooling capacity plus additional associated changes to provide greatly enhanced warfighting capability to the fleet. The AMDR enables Flight III ships to perform Anti-Air Warfare and Ballistic Missile Defense simultaneously, satisfying the Navy’s critical need for an enhanced surface combatant Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) capability. The Flight III baseline begins with DDGs 125-126 and continues with DDG-128 and follow on ships. The future USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG-125) will be 509.5 feet/155.3 meters long and 59 feet/18 meters wide, with a displacement of 9,496 tons. The ship will homeport in San Diego, California.

The DDG-51 Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer (DDG-51) is a multi-mission ship designed to operate offensively and defensively, independently, or part of Carrier Strike Groups, Expeditionary Strike Groups, and Surface Action Groups in multi-threat environments that include air, surface and subsurface threats. These ships will respond to Low Intensity Conflict/Coastal and Littoral Offshore Warfare scenarios, and open ocean conflict, providing or augmenting power projection, forward presence requirements and escort operations at sea. Flight III is the fourth Flight upgrade in the 30+ year history of the class, building on the proud legacy of Flight I, II and IIA ships before it.

 

CHARACTERISTICS

Length Overall 510 feet/160 m
Beam – Waterline 66 feet/20 m
Draft 30.5 feet/9.3 m
Displacement – Full Load 9,700 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 AN/SPY-6 AESA 3D radar (Raytheon Company) and Aegis Combat System (Lockheed Martin); SPS-73(V)12 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)/62 Mark-45 gun; 2 (1) CIWS (Close-In Weapon System); 2 Mark-32 triple 324-mm torpedo tubes for Mark-46, Mark-50 ASW torpedos or Mark 54 Lightweight Torpedo

 

Guided Missile Destroyers Lineup

 

Flight III

Ship Yard Launched Commissioned Homeport
DDG-125 Jack H. Lucas HIIIS 06-04-21
DDG-126 Louis H. Wilson, Jr. GDBIW
DDG-128 Ted Stevens HIIIS
DDG-129 Jeremiah Denton HIIIS
DDG-130 William Charette GDBIW
DDG-131 George M. Neal HIIIS
DDG-132 Quentin Walsh GDBIW
DDG-133 Sam Nunn HIIIS
DDG-134 John E. Kilmer GDBIW
DDG-135 Thad Cochran HIIIS
DDG-136 Richard G. Lugar GDBIW
DDG-137 John F. Lehman HIIIS
DDG-138 GDBIW
DDG-139 Telesforo Trinidad HIIIS

 

Navy

Keel Authenticated

The keel of future USS Ted Stevens (DDG-128), the 78th Arleigh Burke-class ship was ceremonially laid at Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding, March 9.

USS Ted Stevens (DDG-128)
Keel Authenticated for Future USS Ted Stevens (DDG-128)

The ship is named for the late Senator Ted Stevens from Alaska. Stevens was the longest-serving Republican U.S. Senator in history at the time he left office and was the third senator to hold the title of president pro tempore emeritus. He was the president pro tempore of the United States Senate in the 108th and 109th Congresses.

The contemporary keel laying ceremony represents the joining together of a ship’s modular components at the land level. The keel is authenticated with the ship sponsors’ initials etched into a ceremonial keel plate as part of the ceremony. Sponsors of DDG-128 are Catherine Stevens, wife of the ship’s namesake, and Susan Stevens Covich and Lily Stevens Becker, daughters of the namesake.

«The Flight III upgrade fulfills a critical need for the Navy. Flight III ships like the future USS Ted Stevens (DDG-128) will serve as a deterrent to our adversaries using the ship’s increased power projection capability as a result of the upgraded AEGIS Combat System and Air and Missile Defense Radar», said Captain Seth Miller, DDG-51 class program manager, Program Executive Office (PEO) Ships. «We are honored to have the Stevens family with us today as we mark this important milestone in building the Navy’s and the Nation’s next great warship».

The DDG-51 Flight III upgrade is centered on the AN/SPY-6(V)1 Air and Missile Defense Radar and incorporates upgrades to the electrical power and cooling capacity plus additional associated changes to provide greatly enhanced warfighting capability to the fleet. Flight III is the latest Flight upgrade in the more than 30-year history of the class, building on the proud legacy of Flight I, II and IIA ships before it.

HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding is also in production on the future USS Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG-123), USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG-125), USS Jeremiah Denton (DDG-129), and USS George M. Neal (DDG-131).

As one of the Defense Department’s largest acquisition organizations, PEO Ships is responsible for executing the development and procurement of all destroyers, amphibious ships, sealift ships, support ships, boats and craft.