Nichols Martin
Huntington Ingalls Industries‘ Ingalls Shipbuilding division has begun fabrication activities for George M. Neal, a new Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer it will deliver to the U.S. Navy.
The ship follows 33 existing Arleigh Burke-class destroyers the shipbuilder already hander over to the service branch, HII said Monday.
George M. Neal’s name honors a veteran who piloted a helicopter into North Korea for a rescue mission in the Korean War.
“We are very proud of what we do here for the country and endeavor to do our part in building and activating what will be the newest Flight III destroyer,” said Kari Wilkinson, president of Ingalls Shipbuilding.
Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are designed to support a wide range of operations including surface and subsurface combat, anti-air and peacekeeping.
Flight III ships under the Arleigh Burke-class feature updated air and missile defense capabilities including extended detection range.
Ingalls’ shipyard also houses ongoing construction activities for other Arleigh Burke-class ships including the Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee, Ted Stevens and Jack H. Lucas destroyers.
HII delivered the Frank E. Petersen destroyer to the Navy in late November.
