According to information published by the U.S. Navy on November 16, 2021, the Navy and General Dynamics Bath Iron Works (BIW) marked the start of fabrication for the future USS Quentin Walsh (DDG 132) with a ceremony at BIW’s Structural Fabrication Facility in East Brunswick, Maine.
Follow Navy Recognition on Google News at this link
Ceremony for the launch of USS Quentin Walsh (Picture source: General Dynamics Bath Iron Works)
DDG 132 will be a DDG 51 Flight III guided-missile destroyer centered on the AN/SPY-6(V)1 Air and Missile Defense Radar and will incorporate upgrades to the electrical power and cooling capacity plus additional associated changes to provide greatly enhanced warfighting capability to the fleet.
The Flight III baseline begins with DDGs 125-126 and continues with DDG 128 and follows on ships.
The ship is named for Capt. Quentin R. Walsh, a United States Coast Guard officer who earned the Navy Cross during World War II.
BIW is also in production on the future Carl M. Levin (DDG 120), John Basilone (DDG 122), Harvey C. Barnum Jr. (DDG 124), Patrick Gallagher (DDG 127), Louis H. Wilson Jr. (DDG 126), and William Charette (DDG 130).
The DDG 51 Arleigh Burke-class Guided Missile Destroyer (DDG 51) is a multi-mission guided-missile destroyer designed to operate offensively and defensively, independently, or as units of Carrier Strike Groups, Expeditionary Strike Groups, and Surface Action Groups in multi-threat environments that include air, surface and subsurface threats.
These ships will respond to Low-Intensity Conflict/Coastal and Littoral Offshore Warfare scenarios, as well as open ocean conflict, providing or augmenting power projection, forward presence requirements, and escort operations at sea. Flight III is the fourth Flight upgrade in the 30+ year history of the class, building on the proud legacy of Flight I, II, and IIA ships before it.
