According to a press release published on January 7, 2021, Huntington Ingalls Industries, Ingalls Shipbuilding division officially started fabrication of the Arleigh Burke-class (DDG 51) guided missile destroyer Jeremiah Denton (DDG 129) On January 7, 2021. The start of fabrication signifies the first 100 tons of steel have been cut.
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Drawing of Arleigh Burke-class (DDG 51) guided missile destroyer Jeremiah Denton DDG 129 for U.S. Navy. (Picture source Wikimedia)
“The start of fabrication for one of the U.S. Navy’s most critical assets is always a significant milestone for our shipbuilders,” Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Cuccias said. “We look forward to leveraging our unparalleled shipbuilding expertise to construct the nation’s newest, most capable destroyer.”
Denton was born in Mobile, Alabama on July 15, 1924. His wife, the former Kathryn Jane Maury, served as ship’s sponsor of the Ingalls-built Aegis guided missile cruiser USS Mobile Bay (CG 53) which was christened in 1985.
Ingalls has delivered 32 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers to the Navy. Other destroyers currently under construction include Frank E. Peterson Jr. (DDG 121), Lenah H. Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG 123), Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125) and Ted Stevens (DDG 128).
Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are highly capable, multi-mission ships and can conduct a variety of operations, from peacetime presence and crisis management to sea control and power projection, all in support of the United States’ military strategy. The guided missile destroyers are capable of simultaneously fighting air, surface and subsurface battles. The ship contains myriad offensive and defensive weapons designed to support maritime defense needs well into the 21st century.
The Jeremiah Denton (DDG 129) is a flight III in the family of Arleigh Burke-class (DDG 51) guided missile destroyer able to conduct Anti-Air Warfare (AAW), Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW), and Anti-Surface Warfare (ASuW). The first Flight III ship, DDG 125, started fabrication on May 07, 2018
The Arleigh Burke-class DDG 51 Flight III upgrade is centered on the AMDR/SPY-6(V)1 Air and Missile Defense Radar system that provides vastly increased capability over DDG 51 Flight IIA ships. The AMDR enables Flight III ships to simultaneously perform AAW and Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD), which satisfies the Navy's critical need for an enhanced surface combatant Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) capability.
