The U.S. Navy plans to christen the future USS Louis H. Wilson Jr. (DDG 126) at General Dynamics Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine, on Saturday, Sept. 27, at 10:30 a.m. ET.
The ceremony’s principal address will be delivered by Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. Eric Smith. Additional speakers are slated to include Maine Gov. Janet Mills; U.S. Sen. Angus King of Maine; Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, and Acquisition Jason Potter; Vice Adm. Brad Skillman, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Integration of Capabilities and Resources; Medal of Honor recipient Col. Harvey C. Barnum Jr.; and Bath Iron Works President Chuck Krugh.
In keeping with Navy tradition, ship sponsors Janet Wilson Taylor, daughter of the ship’s namesake, and Susan J. Rabern, former Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Financial Management and Comptroller, will christen the vessel by breaking a bottle of sparkling wine across the bow.
DDG 126 honors Gen. Louis Hugh Wilson Jr., a World War II and Vietnam War veteran awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism during the Battle of Guam. He later served as the 26th Commandant of the Marine Corps from 1975 to 1979.
The Navy said the christening highlights its long-standing focus on innovation and maritime superiority and marks a milestone in the service’s effort to shape the future of sea power.
An Arleigh Burke-class Flight III destroyer, DDG 126 is built around the AN/SPY-6(V)1 Air and Missile Defense Radar and includes enhanced power and cooling to support improved warfighting capabilities. Bath Iron Works also has additional destroyers in production: Harvey C. Barnum Jr. (DDG 124), Patrick Gallagher (DDG 127), William Charette (DDG 130), Quentin Walsh (DDG 132), John E. Kilmer (DDG 134), Richard G. Lugar (DDG 136), and J. William Middendorf (DDG 138).
