USS Ted Stevens sea trials (Photo from Ingalls Shipbuilding)
- The new Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer will now be prepared for delivery to the U.S. Navy in the coming weeks.
Ingalls Shipbuilding announced Friday that the Pascagoula shipyard has successfully completed the final round of sea trials for the new Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer Ted Stevens (DDG 128).
The ship is named in honor of former U.S. Senator Ted Stevens, who served in the Senate representing Alaska from December 1968 until January 2009. At the time he left office, Stevens had served longer than any other United States Senator in the Republican Party in history.
A World War II veterans, Stevens received two Distinguished Flying Crosses, two Air Medals, and the Republic of China’s Yuan Hai medal.
According to the shipbuilder, the DDG 128, the second Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyer built by Ingalls, represents the next generation of surface combatants for the U.S. Navy and features the second-in-class Flight III AN/SPY-6 (V)1 radar system and the Aegis Baseline 10 combat system designed to counter threats well into the 21st century.
After several days in port and at sea in the Gulf of America, the Ingalls Test and Trials team confirmed that the ship successfully demonstrated required mission capabilities. It will now be prepared for delivery to the U.S. Navy in the coming weeks.
Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Blanchette said the Ingalls shipbuilders “take great pride in reaching this milestone, which stands as a testament to the teamwork and skill that define our destroyer program at Ingalls.”
“Our goal is to deliver the most advanced and capable warships to the fleet as quickly as possible, addressing the increasing national security needs of the United States and our allies. The work of the entire DDG 128 team exemplifies our relentless pursuit to achieve this very mission,” Blanchette said.
Ingalls Shipbuilding, the largest manufacturing employer in Mississippi, has delivered 35 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers to the U.S. Nav and has five more Flight III destroyers under construction.
Frank Corder
