Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division authenticated the keel of the guided missile destroyer USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG-121) on February 21, 2017. The ship, named in honor of the U.S. Marine Corps’ first African-American general, will be the 33rd Arleigh Burke-class (DDG-51) destroyer Ingalls has built for the U.S. Navy.
«DDGs are traditionally named after great men and women in the history of our Navy, and the namesake of DDG-121 is a true trailblazer and an American hero», Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Cuccias said at a shipyard ceremony. «Like her namesake, DDG-121 will be strong and capable. She can be no other way, because our men and women in the Navy – and General Petersen’s legacy – deserve nothing less».
D’Arcy Neller, the wife of Marine Corps Commandant General Robert Neller, is the ship’s sponsor. Jeremy Lally, a structural welder at Ingalls Shipbuilding division, welded her initials onto a steel plate, signifying the keel of DDG-121 to be «truly and fairly laid». The plate will remain affixed to the ship throughout the ship’s lifetime.
«I appreciate the opportunity to be here with you today and the effort that goes on in this shipyard», General Neller said. «We’re being contested everywhere in the world right now, especially on the sea. We need ships like this one, and we need them to go fast and in harm’s way, every day. So, I know Ingalls will put great care, talent and skill into building this ship, and I appreciate your effort».
The guided missile destroyer honors Frank Emmanuel Petersen Jr., who was the Marine Corps’ first African-American aviator and general officer. After entering the Naval Aviation Cadet Program in 1950, Petersen would go on to fly more than 350 combat missions throughout the Korean and Vietnam wars.
«This is such an honor for General Petersen and our family, particularly with this month being Black History Month», said Doctor Alicia Petersen, widow of General Petersen. «He wasn’t a man who wanted a lot of praise or recognition; however, if he could see this great ship being built for other young men and young women to see and look up to, he would be very proud».
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 United States’ military strategy. They are capable of simultaneously fighting air, surface and subsurface battles. The ships contain myriad offensive and defensive weapons designed to support maritime defense needs well into the 21st century.
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 |
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 | 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 |