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INGALLS SHIPBUILDING AUTHENTICATES THE KEEL OF PAUL IGNATIUS (DDG 117)

Ignatius Keel Hero

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PASCAGOULA, Miss. (Oct. 20, 2015) – Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (NYSE:HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division authenticated the keel today on the Aegis guided missile destroyer, Paul Ignatius (DDG 117).  DDG 117 is the 31st ship in the Arleigh Burke (DDG 51) class of destroyers Ingalls is building for the U.S. Navy. 

 

“The keel authentication is an important milestone in a ship’s life and it’s really a foundation upon which the ship is made,” said Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Cuccias. “Paul Ignatius epitomizes the leadership and agility that has propelled our nation forward – I couldn’t think of a better namesake for DDG 117. Over the coming years as we build this great ship, our shipbuilders know what we do is important. We are building great ships to defend our nation, to protect the brave men and women who will serve on this ship and come back safely home to their families.”

Ingalls welder Reginald Whisenhunt welded the initials of two authenticators — the ship’s namesake Paul Ignatius and 26-year shipbuilder Bill Jones, an Ingalls hull superintendent — onto a steel plate signifying the keel of DDG 117 to be “truly and fairly laid.” The plate will remain affixed to the ship throughout the ship’s lifetime.

“It is a pleasure for me to be here with Huntington Ingalls officials and the men and women who are building DDG 117,” said Ignatius, former Secretary of the Navy. “DDG 117 will become part of our country’s proud destroyer tradition. Built tougher than steel by one of America’s leading shipbuilders, constructed by dedicated and skilled shipyard technicians and manned eventually by the world’s finest naval officers and seamen, this new ship will sail for many decades into the future.”

Ignatius Keel Hero
Keel authenticators – ship’s namesake Paul Ignatius, left, and Ingalls hull superintendent Bill Jones – sketch their initials on the keel plate to be affixed to the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer Paul Ignatius (DDG 117). Photo by Lance Davis/HII

Nancy Ignatius, Paul’s wife, is the ship sponsor and was also present at the ceremony. DDG 117 is named in honor of Ignatius, who served as Secretary of the Navy from 1967 to 1969 and was the Assistant Secretary of Defense during President Lyndon B. Johnson’s administration.

“Every time the men and women of Ingalls craft another destroyer, they build a living, lasting remembrance of either the courage, the leadership or the intellectual contribution of the very best that the Navy and Marine Corps have to offer,” said Capt. Mark Vandroff, the Navy’s DDG 51 program manager.

Ingalls is building three other destroyers — John Finn (DDG 113), which is scheduled to be delivered in 2016, Ralph Johnson (DDG 114), which will launch by the end of the year and Delbert D. Black (DDG 119), which started construction in July.

To date, Ingalls has delivered 28 DDG 51 destroyers to the U.S. Navy. These highly capable, multi-mission ships 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. DDGs 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.

About Huntington Ingalls Industries

Huntington Ingalls Industries is America’s largest military shipbuilding company and a provider of engineering, manufacturing and management services to the nuclear energy, oil and gas markets. For more than a century, HII’s Newport News and Ingalls shipbuilding divisions in Virginia and Mississippi have built more ships in more ship classes than any other U.S. naval shipbuilder. Headquartered in Newport News, Virginia, HII employs approximately 37,000 people operating both domestically and internationally. For more information, visit:

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