HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division started fabrication of the U.S. Navy’s newest Arleigh Burke-class (DDG 51) destroyer Sam Nunn (DDG 133) on Monday. The start of fabrication signifies that the shipyard is ready to move forward with the construction of the ship and that the first 100 tons of steel have been cut. Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are highly capable, multi-mission ships that 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. Sam Nunn will be capable of simultaneously fighting air, surface and subsurface battles. The ship will contain a myriad of offensive and defensive weapons designed to support maritime defense needs well into the 21st century.
“Our shipbuilders are very proud of our DDG 51 production line work,” said John Fillmore, Ingalls Shipbuilding DDG 51 program manager. “Starting another Flight III destroyer gives Ingalls and all of our Navy and industry partners the opportunity to share years of knowledge and best practices as together we continue to build this most capable platform for our nation. Our continued collaboration has become the hallmark of this program.”
On Nov. 30, Ingalls delivered the guided missile destroyer Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG 123), the 34th Arleigh Burke-class destroyer Ingalls has delivered to the Navy and the final Flight IIA Ship built at Ingalls as the Navy transitions to Flight III destroyers. Ingalls currently has in production the future Arleigh Burke-class Flight III destroyers Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125), Ted Stevens (DDG 128), Jeremiah Denton (DDG 129) and George M. Neal (DDG 131). The Arleigh Burke class of guided-missile destroyers (DDGs) is a United States Navy class of destroyer built around the Aegis Combat System and the SPY-1D multi-function passive electronically scanned array radar. The class is named for Admiral Arleigh Burke, an American destroyer officer in World War II and later Chief of Naval Operations. The lead ship, USS Arleigh Burke, was commissioned during Admiral Burke’s lifetime.
HII is a global, all-domain defense partner, building and delivering the world’s most powerful, survivable naval ships and technologies that safeguard our seas, sky, land, space and cyber. As America’s largest shipbuilder and with a more than 135-year history of advancing U.S. national defense, we are united by our mission in service of the heroes who protect our freedom. HII’s diverse workforce includes skilled tradespeople; artificial intelligence, machine learning (AI/ML) experts; engineers; technologists; scientists; logistics experts; and business professionals. Headquartered in Virginia, HII’s workforce is 43,000 strong.
