Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula is continuing its partnership with the U.S. Navy, this time by delivering a new ship to the military branch.
The corporation announced Monday that it has given the second-ever Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyer to the Navy. The ship will be named the USS Ted Stevens after the late U.S. senator who represented Alaska.
“The delivery of Ted Stevens reflects the strong momentum of our destroyer program as we accelerate Flight III production and bring enhanced capabilities to the fleet,” Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Blanchette said. “We are honored to deliver DDG 128 to the Navy, knowing that it will stand as a powerful asset in strengthening U.S. maritime security for decades to come.”
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Per Ingalls officials, the future USS Ted Stevens represents the next generation of surface combatants for the U.S. Navy, featuring 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.
At Ingalls Shipbuilding, there are four more Flight III destroyers under fabrication and another seven moving through early pre-planning stages of construction. To meet the increased demand for ships by the U.S. Navy, Ingalls recently embarked on a distributed shipbuilding initiative to improve meeting deadlines by partnering with shipyards and fabricators beyond the company’s traditional labor market.