Fabrication of Future USS Delbert D. Black Starts

A ceremony at the Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) shipyard celebrated the start of fabrication of the future USS Delbert D. Black (DDG 119), July 21.

The future USS Delbert D. Black honors the first Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON).

Black, a 30-year veteran, rose from the ranks of master chief gunner to senior advisor of the Navy; the title later changed to MCPON. The MCPON is an advocate and voice of all Sailors and their families, serving as the senior enlisted advisor to the Chief of Naval Operations.

This ship will be equipped with the Navy’s Aegis combat system, the world’s foremost integrated naval weapon system. This system delivers quick reaction time, high firepower, and increased electronic countermeasures capability for anti-air warfare. The ship is part of the Navy’s latest flight of destroyers, Flight IIA, which enables power projection, forward presence, and escort operations at sea in support of low intensity conflict/coastal and littoral offshore warfare as well as open ocean conflict.

DDG 119 is the third ship in the FY2013-FY2017 multi-year procurement contract to start fabrication. The future USS Paul Ignatius (DDG 117) has already begun fabrication at HII. Daniel Inouye (DDG 118) is currently in production at Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine.

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Image: HII