Ingalls Shipbuilding Starts Fabrication Of Arleigh Burke-Class Destroyer For US Navy

Huntington Ingalls’ Shipbuilding division has started fabrication for the Arleigh Burke-class (DDG 51) destroyer Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG 121) for the US Navy.

“We have delivered 28 of these ships to the US Navy. This is our fourth destroyer started in three years, and we are seeing the efficiencies that come from building these ships back-to-back,” George Nungesser, Ingalls’ DDG 51 program manager said. The start of fabrication signifies that 100 tons of steel have been cut.

DDG 121 is the third of five DDG 51 destroyers the company was awarded in June 2013. The five-ship contract, part of a multi-year procurement in the DDG 51 program, allows Ingalls to build ships more efficiently by buying bulk material and moving the skilled workforce from ship to ship.

The multi-mission ship can conduct a variety of operations, from peacetime presence and crisis management to sea control and power projection. Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are capable of simultaneously fighting air, surface and subsurface battles. The ship contains myriad offensive and defensive weapons designed to support maritime defense needs well into the 21st century.