Jay Clemens
Huntington Ingalls Industries has unveiled the 30th Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Ralph Johnson at the company’s shipyard on Dec. 12.
The U.S. Navy said Monday the ship was transferred from the land-level facility to the drydock where it was floated.
HII will also incorporate the Aegis Baseline 9 air and missile defense and ballistic missile defense into the destroyer.
“We’re looking forward to completing outfitting efforts, undergoing test and trials and delivering another highly-capable asset to our fleet,” said Capt. Mark Vandroff, DDG 51 class program manager within the Navy’s Program Executive Office for ships.
The ship is named after Medal of Honor recipient U.S. Marine Corps Pfc. Ralph Henry Johnson, who died during the Vietnam War after he protected his colleagues from a grenade.
