The U.S. Navy’s newest Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, PCU Rafael Peralta (DDG115), will be commissioned July 29 in California, acting secretary of the U.S. Navy Sean J. Stackley has announced.
The ceremony will take place at Naval Air Station North Island.
Rafael Peralta is the 65th Arleigh Burke-class destroyer and the third of the DDG 51 Flight IIA restart ships. It is the first warship named for Navy Cross recipient Sgt. Rafael Peralta.
The keel of Rafael Peralta was laid down in fall of 2014 and the ship was christened October 31, 2015 during a ceremony at the Bath Iron Works facility in Bath, Maine, and then launched on November 1, 2015.
The destroyer is equipped with the Aegis baseline 9 combat system, which includes an integrated air and missile defense (IAMD) capability, incorporating the ballistic missile defense 5.0 capability upgrade (BMD 5.0CU) and naval integrated fire control-counter air (NIFC-CA).
The 65th Arleigh Burke class destroyer and the first of the DDG 51 FLT IIA restart ships to be built at Bath Iron Works will be stationed at Naval Base San Diego.