Huntington Ingalls Industries has started fabrication activities for the construction of a new Arleigh BurkeÂ-class destroyer.
The company said Wednesday it has cut the future USS Ted Stevens’ first 100 tons of steel to mark the start of the fabrication process.
“We look forward to continuing production and carrying on the extraordinary legacy of the Navy destroyer fleet,†said George Nungesser, Arleigh Burke-class program manager at HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division.
The new ship carries the name of Ted Stevens, a former U.S. senator for Alaska who also contributed active duty service as a World War II pilot.
Arleigh Burke-class ships are designed to attack surface, subsurface and air threats in a variety of mission types. Ted Stevens would follow 31 Arleigh Burke-class vessels that Ingalls has already delivered to the U.S. Navy.