November 11, 2016
PASCAGOULA, Miss., Nov. 11, 2016—Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (NYSE:HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division announced today it successfully completed the third and final round of sea trials for the guided missile destroyer John Finn (DDG 113). The Arleigh Burke-class (DDG 51) destroyer spent two days in the Gulf of Mexico testing the ship’s various systems for acceptance trials.
“The success of DDG 113 acceptance trials moves us one step closer to delivering a quality, state-of-the-art surface combatant to the U.S. Navy,” said Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Cuccias. “For nearly three decades, the DDG 51 program has served as the backbone of our shipyard, and today we are proud to continue that legacy. Our shipbuilders are eager to show our U.S. Navy customer the positive impact of a skilled workforce and a hot production line can have on the DDG 51 program. ”
The U.S. Navy’s Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) spent time onboard evaluating the ship’s overall performance during the final set of sea trials. The Navy required three sea trials as part of the restart effort on the DDG 51 program. Now shipbuilders will put the final finishing touches on the ship for its delivery in December.
“The shipbuilders are ready to get back to work on DDG 113,” said George Nungesser, Ingalls’ DDG program manager. “They know acceptance trials are a vital part of the process, but it’s not the end of the road. Our shipbuilders take pride in what they do every day because they know how important these ships are to the defense of the nation and to the safety of sailors serving aboard them.”
DDG 113 is named in honor of the Navy’s first Medal of Honor recipient of World War II. Finn received the honor for machine-gunning Japanese warplanes for over two hours during the December 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, despite being shot in the foot and shoulder and suffering numerous shrapnel wounds. He retired as a lieutenant after 30 years of service and died at age 100 in 2010.
Ingalls has delivered 28 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers to the U.S. Navy. Other destroyers currently under construction at Ingalls include Ralph Johnson (DDG 114), Paul Ignatius (DDG 117), Delbert D. Black (DDG 119) and Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG 121). Construction of Lenah H. Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG 123) is scheduled to begin in the second quarter of 2017.
Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are capable, multi-mission ships and 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. The guided missile 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.
HII is America’s largest shipbuilder, delivering the world’s most powerful ships and all-domain mission technologies, including unmanned systems, to U.S. and allied defense customers. HII is the largest producer of unmanned underwater vehicles for the U.S. Navy and the world.
With a more than 140-year history of advancing U.S. national security, HII builds and integrates defense capabilities extending from the core fleet to C6ISR, AI/ML, EW and synthetic training. Headquartered in Virginia, HII’s workforce is 44,000 strong.
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