The US Navy’s third Flight III Arleigh Burke destroyer will be named in honor of US senator Ted Stevens, who represented Alaska from 1968 to 2009, US Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer has announced.

“Senator Stevens was a staunch supporter of a strong Navy and Marine Corps team who served our nation with distinction as a pilot during World War II, and later as a Senator of Alaska,” said Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer. “I am pleased that his legacy of service and dedication to national security will live on in the future USS Ted Stevens.”