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A new guided missile destroyer has entered service with the US Navy.
The USS Frank E Petersen Jr (DDG 121) is the latest Arleigh Burke Class guided-missile destroyer to be commissioned into service with the US Navy.
The vessel – commissioned at a ceremony on Saturday (14 May) – has been named in honour of Marine Corps Lieutenant General Frank E Petersen, Jr, who was the first Black Marine Corps aviator and the first Black Marine Corps officer promoted to brigadier general.
“This ship honours the life and legacy of Lt Gen Frank E Petersen, Jr, a pioneer not just for Marine Corps aviation but for our entire naval force,” Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro said.
“I have no doubt the crew will be a cornerstone of the Surface Force carrying his legacy forward and strengthening the bond between our Navy and Marine Corps team.”
Arleigh Burke Class destroyers form the basis of the US Navy’s surface fleet, designed to conduct a variety of operations, including peacetime presence to national security, providing multi-threat air, surface and subsurface domain missions.
The nearly 9,500-tonne USS Frank E Petersen Jr is 509.5 feet in length, has a waterline beam of 59 feet, and a navigational draft of 31 feet.
The ship is powered by four gas turbine engines, enabling speeds in excess of 30 knots.
USS Frank E Petersen Jr is expected to be homeported at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.
USS Frank E Petersen Jr is the latest addition to the US Navy fleet.
In February, USS Savannah (LCS 28) was welcomed as the newest Independence variant littoral combat ship (LCS).
The LCS Class vessel — which consists of two variants, the Freedom and the Independence, designed and built by Lockheed Martin and Austal USA, respectively – is billed as a fast, agile, mission-focused platform designed to operate in near-shore environments, countering coastal threats.
The vessels are built to support forward presence, maritime security, sea control and deterrence.
The commissioning of USS Savannah followed Austal USA’s delivery of USS Canberra in December.
This was the last LCS delivered to the US military, with the future USS Santa Barbara and USS Augusta launched but yet to be commissioned.
The future USS Kingsville and USS Pierre are still under construction.
[Related: USS Savannah joins US Navy fleet]
