The Navy will christen the newest guided-missile destroyer,
the future USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG 121) Saturday, Oct. 6, during a 10:00
a.m. CDT ceremony at Huntington Ingalls Industries shipyard in Pascagoula,
Mississippi.
The future USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. is the first ship named
in honor of Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Frank E. Petersen Jr., the first
African-American Marine Corps aviator and the first African-American Marine
Corps officer promoted to brigadier general. When he retired in 1988 after 38
years of service, he was, by date of designation, the senior-ranking aviator in
the Marine Corps and the United States Navy.
At the ceremony, the principal speaker will be Gen. Alfred
Gray, 29th Commandant of the Marine Corps. D’Arcy Neller, wife of General
Robert Neller, Commandant of the Marine Corps, and Dr. Alicia J. Petersen,
widow of Frank E. Petersen Jr., will serve as ship’s sponsors. In a
time-honored Navy tradition, the two sponsors will christen the ship by
breaking a bottle of sparkling wine across the bow.
“The future USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. will serve for decades
as a reminder of Lt. Gen. Petersen's service to our nation and Navy and Marine
Corps team,” said Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer. “This ceremony
honors not only Petersen’s service but also the service of our nation’s
industrial partners, who, for centuries, have helped make our Navy the greatest
in the world."
The future Frank E. Petersen Jr. will be the 71st Arleigh
Burke-class destroyer, and is the 5th of 21 ships currently under contract for
the DDG 51 program. The ship will be configured as a Flight IIA destroyer,
which enables power projection, forward presence, and escort operations at sea
in support of Low Intensity Conflict/Coastal and Littoral Offshore Warfare, as
well as open ocean conflict.
The future Frank E. Petersen Jr. will be equipped with the
Navy's Aegis Combat System, the world's foremost integrated naval weapon. The
ship will also incorporate Cooperative Engagement Capability that when combined
with the Aegis Combat System, will permit groups of ships and aircraft to link
radars to provide a composite picture of the battle space—effectively
increasing the theater space. The capability is designed to provide the Navy
with a 21st century fighting edge.
The nearly 9,500-ton Frank E. Petersen Jr. is 509.5 feet in
length, has a waterline beam of 59 feet, and a navigational draft of 31 feet.
Four gas turbine engines will power the ship to speeds in excess of 30 knots.
Media may direct queries to the Navy Office of Information
at (703) 697-5342.
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