(L-R) Commander Jeffery Parks, Chaplain; Capt./ Aaron J. Taylor; RADM Randall W. Peck; and Capt. Wayne P. Liebold (at podium on right) Commander Jeffery Parks, Chaplain; Capt. Wayne P. Liebold; Capt. Aaron J. Taylor; RADM Randall W. Peck
By: Irv Cuevas
Change of Command (COC’s) are not uncommon in the Navy, and are frequently held on ships whether at sea, in port, or at shore stations around the world.
But how many such tradition-bound ceremonies are staged beneath the hull of a vessel while in dry-dock? That’s exactly what happened August 10 under the more than 800 foot hull of the USS Essex LHD-2, undergoing upgrades and maintenance at BAE Systems in San Diego, Calif.
Staged in a colorful setting under the giant propellors and hulls, Captain Aaron J. Taylor relinquished command to Captain Wayne P. Liebold. Rear Admiral Randall W. Peck conducted the pomp and circumstance and as is customary; crew members in dress whites prominently observed as they got a new Skipper.
The heart of the ceremony was the formal reading of official orders by Captain Liebold, formerly Essex’s XO, and those by Captain Taylor next headed to a Pacific Fleet position based in Pearl Harbor.
Command passed by the time-honored utterance by the relieving officer, “I relieve you, Sir.” The officer being relieved responded, “I stand relieved.”
Thus, a new chapter begins for the Essex, known as the “Iron Gator.” She was soon to “return to the water” and resume fleet operations when fully shipshape once again.
The Essex is a Wasp-class assault vessel commissioned in October 1992, with a crew compliment of 1,200 sailors and 2,200 Marines. Essex’s aerial capabilities include F35’s, Harriers, Ospreys, heavy-lift helicopters, and can handle LCAC’s for troop movements.
During her long service, Essex embarked on a wide range of Naval operations with USN and foreign vessels and assisted in a number of humanitarian assistance/disaster relief service.
Naval Special Warfare (NSW) Surface Support Craft (SSC) and U.S. Coast Guard Special Purpose Craft, Law Enforcement II (SPC-LE2) Vessels – Contract Update
Release from Silver Ships
*****
Mobile, Ala. (August 23, 2023) –Silver Ships recently completed the first deliveries under the Naval Sea Systems Command of seven 11-meter Open Center Console (OCC) vessels and two 8-meter Open Center Console (OCC) vessels, under the Naval Special Warfare Surface Support Craft Contract. The Navy has also conducted Pre-Delivery Inspection and Testing (PDIT) of three vessel variants included in the contract.
The NSW SSC Contract entails construction of five different vessel variants of the Ambar series Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats (RHIBs). The NSW Surface Support Craft (SSC) are 8 and 11-meter aluminum deep-vee hulled boats with a protective collar. Silver Ships’ 8 and 11-meter craft have a multipurpose deck for carrying various payloads or mission gear. Variants of the SSC include both open center console (OCC) and cabin versions, in addition to the SPC-LE2 variant. These craft are used from inland bays and waterways to deep water over-the-horizon transits, in all operating conditions and weather. The Navy SSC vessels will support the Naval Special Warfare community via ocean diver and swimmer support, medical transport, vessel towing and water airdrop training, among other missions.
Silver Ships has also delivered the first SPC-LE2 vessel variants to Coast Guard Station Miami Beach, FL, Coast Guard Station South Padre Island, TX and the USCG Maritime Law Enforcement Academy in Charleston, SC. The 11-meter Coast Guard SPC-LE2 vessels are armed and will be operated in varying conditions along the length of the borders of the United States and the Caribbean. Typical SPC-LE2 missions involve intercepting suspicious vessels entering U.S. waters and will also be used for port security and other missions. Additional vessel variant under advanced design and production is the 11-meter cabin version.
The $8.2 million delivery order is a Firm-Fixed-Price Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) single award contract (N00024-21-D-2205) by the Naval Sea Systems Command for the construction and delivery of up to 110 Naval Special Warfare (NSW) Surface Support Craft (SSC) and U.S. Coast Guard Special Purpose Craft, Law Enforcement II (SPC-LE) vessels, in addition to other accessories, parts and training. The contract includes options that, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of the contract to $51.6 million and production work would continue through 2026-2027.
“We are very pleased with early production and testing of the NSW SSC and SPC-LE2 boats. More importantly, our Navy and Coast Guard customers have inspected the first of three variants and are pleased with vessel performance. Initial inspections and testing were completed in a spirit of teamwork, continuous learning and improvement. We will continue to closely team with these partners as we increase production to meet contract requirements in the next several years,” said Shawn Lobree, Silver Ships Federal Contracts Manager and project lead.
Silver Ships began building SSCs for the Navy in 2006 and has constructed more than 650 RHIBs for all branches of the U.S. military over the past 20 years. All of the boats are highly versatile, rugged and designed to be operated in open ocean and near-coastal environments.
For more information about Silver Ships vessels and other military vessel projects, visit silverships.com.
NavSea Improves Readiness of USS Bataan with New 3D Printing Capability
“This success story shows the self-sufficiency we can achieve when our Sailors are provided with cutting-edge technology,” said Rear Adm. Joseph Cahill, commander, Naval Surface Force Atlantic (SURFLANT). “The impact technology like this can have on operational readiness, particularly in a combat environment where logistics capabilities will be challenged, is critically important.”
The part, a sprayer plate, is part of a DBAC which is used to force pressurized air through saltwater tanks and discharge the accumulated saltwater. The tanks are filled to lower a ship’s draft for amphibious operations. Producing the sprayer plate while at-sea enabled the ship to mitigate the time spent obtaining a replacement assembly.
“Rapidly learning how to utilize AM shipboard and scaling these capabilities is a key enabler to us sustaining our platforms and weapons systems,” said Rear Adm. Jason Lloyd, deputy commander for NAVSEA’s Naval Systems Engineering & Logistics Directorate. “I am excited to see how Bataan embraced this technology to enhance readiness at the point of need.”
The printer, installed under a joint effort between SURFLANT and the NAVSEA Technology Office, includes the Phillips Additive Hybrid system, which integrates a Meltio3D laser metal wire deposition head on a Haas TM-1 computer numerical control mill. The Haas TM-1 platform has been proven to operate reliably in an afloat environment aboard several aircraft carriers. Integrating the Meltio 3D deposition head with the Haas TM-1 provides both an additive and subtractive manufacturing capability within the same system, increasing efficiency and reducing waste when compared with typical machining.
The repair effort, led by Machinery Repairman First Class Mike Hover, began by creating a computer aided design (CAD) model of a sprayer plate from a functional sprayer plate from one of the ship’s other DBAC systems. After creating a preliminary CAD model, Hover leveraged NAVSEA’s ‘Apollo Lab’ construct established for engineering and fleet support and training.
NAVSEA established the “Apollo Lab” in 2018 for engineers to better support forward-deployed sailors. The Apollo Lab, led by NAVSEA field activity Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division, Johns Hopkins University Applied Research Laboratory (JHU APL), and Building Momentum, provides distributed, reach-back engineering support by civilian engineers for AM equipment. Apollo Lab also supports the fleet by designing AM components to be made by sailors at sea.
Bryan Kessel, a mechanical engineer at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division, refined the CAD file, worked with JHU APL to develop the software instructions to guide operation of the metal 3D printer and securely transferred those instructions back to the ship to produce and install the sprayer plate.
NAVSEA is the largest of the Navy’s six system commands, responsible for the procurement, maintenance and modernization of ships, submarines and systems for the U.S. Navy. NAVSEA’s Technology Office is leading multiple areas of research and development in evaluation of AM equipment, using data not only from deployed assets, but also shore side lab activities, to gain a critical understanding of how the equipment will perform under shipboard conditions. These evaluations will ensure that the current and future shipboard implementations of this equipment are fabricating parts repeatedly and reliably, thus allowing Sailors to address an increasing number of applications.
USS Augusta to Commission in Eastport, Maine
***** 08.22.2023
Commander, Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet
The future Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Augusta (LCS 34) will join the active fleet with a commissioning ceremony at Eastport, Maine on September 30.
LCS are fast, agile, mission-focused platforms that operate in near-shore environments, winning against 21st-century coastal threats. These surface warfare combatants with mine warfare capabilities integrate with joint, combined, manned and unmanned teams to support forward-presence, maritime security, sea control and deterrence missions around the globe.
The selection of Augusta as the ship’s namesake, the easternmost state capital in the U.S., recognizes the value of Maine’s maritime history and landscape. The state’s rugged Atlantic coast is home to fishermen, lobstermen, and a thriving maritime industry that is testament to Maine’s enduring contributions to the nation.
Chief Justice Leigh Saufley, President and Dean of University of Maine School of Law, will be the sponsor, giving the order to “bring our ship to life.”
USS Augusta is the second ship named in honor of the city of Augusta, Maine.
The Los Angeles-class submarine Augusta (SSN 710) was commissioned in January 1985, at Submarine Base, New London, Connecticut and served for 24 years. It was sponsored by Mrs. Diana D. Cohen, wife of Sen. William S. Cohen of Maine who later served as the Secretary of Defense from 1997–2001.
SSN 710 took part in Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom launching UGM-109 Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles (TLAM) against Iraqi military targets on March 21, 2003. Cmdr. Mike A. Haumer, Augusta’s commanding officer, received the Bronze Star for his “extraordinary leadership and operational skills” in command of the boat during the fight.
Following the commissioning, USS Augusta will transit to its homeport of San Diego.
Vestdavit fuels orders with US Navy through multi-davit deal for new class of oilers
Vestdavit will deliver multiple davits for newbuild T-AO oilers under construction at General Dynamics NASSCO, with the first ship delivered, to be named USNS John Lewis, shown (foreground) at the San Diego yard during sea trials last year and others under construction in the background. Photo: General Dynamics NASSCO
Davits supplied by Vestdavit are set to play an important role in efficient launch and recovery of fast craft to support refuelling operations at sea for the US naval fleet after the company was awarded a major contract for six vessels being built by General Dynamics NASSCO in the US.
The contract covers delivery of a total of 12 high-specification PLRH-5000 davits to be installed on the John Lewis-class of T-AO oilers ordered by the US Navy at the shipbuilder’s San Diego shipyard, with two on each ship from T-AO 208 through T-AO 213 in the newbuild series.
“This represents a significant order that further underpins our strong position in the US as our largest market and reflects the trust shown in the reliability of our davit solutions by the US Navy, which is one of our biggest customers in this market,” says Vestdavit Managing Director Rolf Andreas Wigand.
Extensive newbuild programme
He adds that Vestdavit is “really pleased to continue the relationship” with General Dynamics NASSCO, a unit of global aerospace and defence company General Dynamics, following its recent delivery of multi-boat davits for US Navy ESB-6 and ESB-7 ships also under construction at the yard.
The US Navy has so far ordered a total of nine of the new class of T-AO oilers with a total contract value of $5.5 billion, of which the first was delivered last year, as part of an ongoing newbuild construction programme in which as many as 20 such vessels are planned.
The 745-foot-long oilers, which will be operated by Military Sealift Command (MSC), are designed to transfer fuel to US Navy carrier strike groups operating at sea, with the capacity to carry 162,000 barrels of oil, a significant dry cargo capacity, aviation capability and a speed of up to 20 knots.
These ships are dependent on high availability and efficient operation of boat handling systems for deployment of fast craft such as rescue boats in variable sea states to facilitate safe and reliable refuelling operations, according to Magnus Oding, General Manager of the Norwegian davit supplier’s US subsidiary Vestdavit Inc.
High-specification davit features
The PLRH-5000 single-point davits will be used to handle the US Navy’s seven-metre RHIBs (Rigid-Hull Inflatable Boats) and incorporate a range of motion compensation and safety features that allow them to function effectively also in challenging conditions with high sea states, he says.
These include shock absorbers for removing peak loads, constant tension for safe and efficient recovery in rough weather, and guiding arms that act as an anti-pendulation device to keep the RHIB steady.
The skid-mounted davit is delivered as a fully self-contained unit for ease of installation onboard ships, with a requirement only for welding in place, filling with hydraulic oil and connection to power supply.
As well as naval applications, the DNV-classed davit type with lifting capacity up to 15,000kg is typically used on offshore patrol vessels, fishery protection and law enforcement vessels, and search and rescue vessels.
Expanding naval orderbook
The latest order adds to the tally of more than 2000 davit systems supplied by Vestdavit worldwide, including the US where it also counts the US Coast Guard and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) among its major clients, as well as several commercial customers.
With a strong track record of davit deliveries to navies around the world, Wigand is confident orders from the defence sector will continue to grow in the coming years.
“Constant product development and innovation in line with client requirements, supported by robust technology, means we are able to deliver on quality and reliability to meet the demanding standards of the naval market,” he says.
CAES Awarded $200M Contract for SPY-6 Radar Assemblies, Continues Partnership with Raytheon
Arlington, Va. — CAES, a leading provider of mission-critical advanced RF technology, has won a $200 million follow-on, full-rate hardware production and sustainment award from Raytheon, an RTX business. Under the contract, CAES will provide fully tested radar module assemblies for the U.S. Navy’s AN/SPY-6 family of radars.
CAES has been a multi-year partner with Raytheon on the SPY-6 program, and has already begun delivering hardware. This follow-on, multi-year award demonstrates the continued, strong partnership between CAES and Raytheon, and our demonstrated capacity to provide the SPY-6 radar with reliable components and meet the U.S. Navy fleet’s needs for many years to come.
“SPY-6 is one of the most advanced naval radars in production, and CAES is proud to contribute to the performance and reliability of this system,” said Mike Kahn, CAES President & CEO. “We look forward to our continued work with Raytheon to provide our military with this critical capability.”
SPY-6 is the U.S. Navy family of radars that performs air and missile defense on six classes of ships. SPY-6 can defend against ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, hostile aircraft and surface ships simultaneously and offers several advantages over legacy radars, such as greater detection range, increased sensitivity and more accurate discrimination.
Partnering with customers, CAES facilities are capable of manufacturing complex microwave and millimeter wave solutions for electronic warfare, radar and other mission critical needs. Learn more about CAES’ advanced capabilities here.
About CAES CAES is a pioneer of advanced electronics for the most challenging defense and aerospace trusted systems. As a leading provider of advanced RF technology to the United States aerospace and defense industry, CAES delivers high-reliability RF and digital solutions that enable our customers to ensure a safer, more secure planet. On land, at sea and in the air, CAES’ extensive experience in the RF market and enhanced manufacturing capabilities are at the forefront of mission-critical military and aerospace innovation. www.caes.com
HII Christens Guided Missile Destroyer Ted Stevens (DDG 128)
PASCAGOULA, Miss., Aug. 19, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — HII (NYSE: HII) christened today pre-commissioning unit Ted Stevens (DDG 128) at the company’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division.
The ship’s name honors former U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens, who served as a pilot in World War II and later as a senator representing Alaska. At the time he left office in 2009, he was the longest serving Republican senator in U.S. history.
“From Alaska to Mississippi we are connected as a community of shipbuilders, sailors and servants by both the passion of our shipbuilders, who have brought us to this point in construction, and also by the late Sen. Ted Stevens and his passion for service,” Ingalls Shipbuilding President Kari Wilkinson said. “We are grateful to everyone that is part of our community and this mission and especially to the U.S. Navy for entrusting us with doing the work that we do here.”
Honorable Sean O’Keefe, 69th secretary of the Navy, 10th administrator of NASA and former staff member of Sen. Ted Stevens was the keynote speaker.
“To the captain and her crew, lead with courage (the motto of the ship), the courage to be determined, the courage to be diligent and to be focused on mission,” O’Keefe said. “I am supremely confident that the spirit of Ted Stevens will be standing watch with you during the performance of your duties around the globe. This ship has the great good fortune to have three extraordinary co-sponsors who are sure to pass on their admirable qualities and the culture of this amazing instrument of national power.”
Ted Stevens is co-sponsored by the late senator’s wife, Catherine Ann Stevens, and his daughters Susan Stevens Covich and Lily Irene Becker. Together, the three sponsors officially christened the ship.
Becker represented the family by providing remarks and paying tribute to her late farther.
“My family and I pay tribute to the captain and crew,” Becker said. “We know you will be prepared with the best systems and will carry the spirit of Alaska and the determination of Ted Stevens with you. Captain Hays, we know you and your crew will lead with courage.”
Ingalls has delivered 35 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers to the U.S. Navy including the first Flight III, USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125), in June of this year. In addition, Ingalls has four Flight IIIs currently under construction including Ted Stevens (DDG 128), Jeremiah Denton (DDG 129), George M. Neal (DDG 131) and Sam Nunn (DDG 133).
Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyers built for the U.S. Navy incorporate a number of design modifications that collectively provide significantly enhanced capability. DDG 128 will include the AN/SPY-6(V)1 Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR) and the Aegis Baseline 10 Combat System that is required to keep pace with the threats well into the 21st century. 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. Guided missile destroyers are the backbone of the U.S. surface fleet and are capable of fighting multiple air, surface and subsurface threats simultaneously.
Navy, Marine Corps Conclude Large Scale Exercise 2023
NORFOLK, Va. (Aug. 9, 2023) Lt. Cmdr. Christine Tyndall, from San Jose, California, and Lt. Steven McGhan, from Merritt Island, Florida, stand watch during Large-Scale Exercise (LSE) 2023 aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69). LSE 2023 is a live, virtual, and constructive, globally-integrated exercise designed to refine how we synchronize maritime operations across multiple fleets, in support of the joint force. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Mo Bourdi/Released)
NORFOLK, Va. – More than 25,000 Sailors and Marines across the globe participated in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps-led Large Scale Exercise (LSE) 2023, Aug. 9-18.
One of the largest exercises for the maritime services, LSE 2023 is a live, virtual and constructive, globally-integrated exercise designed to refine the synchronization of maritime operations.
During a media roundtable, the commanders of U.S. Fleet Forces Command, U.S. Pacific Fleet, U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa, and Marine Forces Command highlighted LSE 2023 as the leading exercise in how the Navy and Marine Corps further improves their ability to fight on land, air, sea, space, and cyberspace in order to maintain a military force that is most effective in peacetime and more powerful in war.
“We have a responsibility and a duty to be able to respond globally to threats and vulnerabilities to peer adversaries and competitors,” said Adm. Daryl Caudle, commander U. S. Fleet Forces Command. “And the way you get great at that is to practice with exercises like LSE 2023.”
LSE 2023 spanned 22 time zones and included participants from U.S. Fleet Forces Command, U.S. Pacific Fleet, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa Command, Marine Forces Command, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Europe and Africa, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Pacific, and seven U.S. numbered Fleets: Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, and Tenth.
The integration of fleet operations with emerging technologies played a key role in refining and validating Distributed Maritime Operations (DMO) capabilities.
“The United States is a global power that has global interests. We have allies and partners around the world. We routinely sail, fly, and operate in international spaces,” said Adm. Stuart Munsch, commander, U.S. Naval Forces, Europe and Africa. “You put that all together, and we have a responsibility to be able to operate globally, effectively, and that’s what we’re doing. We demonstrate that to assure our allies and partners, and we demonstrate it to deter adversaries.” LSE 2023 reinforced a culture of learning and increased warfighting readiness by merging real-world operations with virtually constructed scenarios to create a realistic training environment that allowed Sailors and Marines to train the way we fight, regardless of geographic boundaries.
“This is an exercise where we can bring all of our experiences together and learn from each other,” said Lt. Gen. Brian Cavanaugh, commander, Marine Forces Command. “I’ve learned a tremendous amount from Admirals Caudle, Paparo, and Munsch, as well as General Jurney and General Sofge, and you don’t get that until you come together and do an exercise like this. The challenges we encountered during LSE 23 only help us in our continuum of learning – from the tactical unit, up through the highest levels of decision making.”
LSE 2023 incorporated live units underway ranging from aircraft carriers to submarines, shore logistic support units, and more than 30 virtual units. This included pier-side participation from ships as well as training facilities and staff headquarters from around the world.
From the strategic level with combatant commanders down to the hands-on training on the tactical level, this exercise encompassed a wide range of training for the Navy and Marine Corps.
“We are a global, responsive Navy operating dynamically within the joint force, ready to respond to threats against our nation,” said Adm. Samuel Paparo, commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet. “Our competitors are increasingly cooperating and operating further afield. This underscores the importance of exercises like LSE to hone our ability to find, track and monitor potential threats and coordinate globally.”
The U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps will incorporate lessons learned from LSE 2023 into the planning of its next large scale exercise iteration which will take place in 2025.
To read the full transcript from the media roundtable with LSE 2023 commanders visit:
Bangor Dry Dock Recertifies, Completing Seismic Mitigation Work
Workers help guide a hydraulic anchor drilling rig, February 16, 2023, as part of the seismic mitigation effort at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility.(U.S. Navy Photo by Wendy M Hallmark)
BREMERTON, Wash. – Interim seismic mitigation efforts, which began Feb. 15 on the Trident Refit Facility Delta Pier in Bangor, have been completed.
In January of this year the Navy restricted submarines from entering certain dry docks in the Pacific Northwest (both at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility and Trident Refit Facility- Bangor) because of seismic concerns identified in recent studies. The Navy team rapidly deployed and implemented a repair technique using dry dock wall reinforcing tie downs.
The three dry docks where tie downs were installed have been recertified. Repairs to the full length of the Bangor dock walls have been completed and the dock was recertified August 10. PSNS & IMF’s Dry Dock 5 was recertified June 30 to dock USS Connecticut (SSN 22) and Dry Dock 4 was recertified April 28 to dock USS Pennsylvania (SSBN 735).
“The completion of seismic mitigations at the TRF Bangor dry dock is an incredible milestone,” said Capt. JD Crinklaw, commander, PSNS & IMF. “For the past six months, thousands of personnel have dedicated themselves to ensuring all three dry docks were safely and efficiently brought back into operation, so we could continue our mission. I am incredibly grateful to the team of experts who helped us reach this objective and ensure the readiness and resilience of the Navy’s fleet.”
Construction efforts include drilling holes for the installation of anchors inside the dry dock walls to enhance structural integrity and ensure the safety of the workforce, community, environment, and submarines. The mitigation efforts updated existing emergency response plans to better address the chance of a catastrophic earthquake, along with improved early-warning employee notification systems in the dry docks.
Experts from private industry, Naval Sea Systems Command, Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, TRFB and PSNS & IMF planned and implemented the structural upgrades, with an eye on the Navy’s future needs and in support of the mission to deliver modern, fully-mission capable warships on-time, every time, preserving our national security.
“The upgrades done at Delta Pier will provide the Navy with critical sustainment operations, for our submarines, in the years ahead,” said Capt. Mike Eberlein, commanding officer, Trident Refit Facility-Bangor. “When I look at the amount of work done over the last few months, the precision of that work, and the speed and efficiency of the professionals involved, I am amazed at the capabilities of the Navy to conduct our national security mission.”
These short-term mitigation actions did not affect the nation’s strategic deterrent capability or the ability of the fleet to continue its overall mission. PSNS & IMF remains the primary provider for the maintenance, repair, modernization, inactivation and disposal of ships, submarines, and nuclear-powered aircraft carriers in the Pacific Fleet.
Based on future planned improvements to Dry Dock 6, and differences in ship design and the size of aircraft carriers, it was determined immediate seismic mitigations are not required. Aircraft carrier maintenance at PSNS & IMF remains unaffected.
The need for mitigations in the remaining docks will be determined once current efforts are complete and may include stability enhancements for submarine availabilities.
For questions related to this release, please contact the Navy Office of Information at 703-697-5342 or [email protected].
Navy to Christen Guided-Missile Destroyer Ted Stevens (DDG 128)
The Navy will christen the future USS Ted Stevens (DDG 128) during a 9:00 a.m. CDT ceremony on Saturday, Aug. 19, in Pascagoula, Mississippi.
ShapeThe principal address will be delivered by the Honorable Sean O’Keefe, 69th Secretary of the Navy and 10th Administrator of NASA. Remarks will also be provided by the Honorable Russell Rumbaugh, Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Financial Management and Comptroller); Vice Admiral Jeffrey Hughes, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Warfighting Development; and Kari Wilkinson, executive vice president of Huntington Ingalls Industries and president of Ingalls Shipbuilding. The ship’s sponsors are Catherine Ann Stevens, Susan Stevens Covich, and Lily Irene Becker, the wife and daughters of the ship’s namesake. In a time-honored Navy tradition, the sponsors will christen the ship by breaking a bottle of sparkling wine across the bow.
The ship’s namesake, Ted Stevens, was a U.S. Senator from Alaska who served the Senate and the Solicitor of the Interior Department for over 40 years. He was a strong supporter of the Navy and Marine Corps.
This is the first U.S. Navy ship to honor Stevens and will be the third Flight III upgrade ship.
Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are the backbone of the U.S. Navy’s surface fleet, providing protection to America around the globe. These highly capable, multi-mission ships conduct various operations, from peacetime presence to national security, providing a wide range of warfighting capabilities in multi-threat air, surface, and subsurface domains. These elements of seapower enable the Navy to defend American prosperity and prevent future conflict abroad.
