US Navy names 83rd Arleigh Burke-class destroyer

The US Navy’s eighth Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyer will be named in honor of US Senator Sam Nunn, the Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer announced on May 6.

“Senator Nunn’s impact on the Navy and Marine Corps team cannot be overstated,” Spencer said.

“His leadership in the Senate, specifically as the long-serving chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, helped streamline the military chain of command and strengthen our Navy and Marine Corps team. I am pleased that Senator Nunn’s legacy of service to our nation will continue in the future USS Sam Nunn.”

Nunn served in the US Coast Guard 1959 to 1960 and remained in the Coast Guard Reserve until 1968. He was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in 1968 and in 1972 was first elected to the US Senate.

In addition to being the eighth of the Flight III ships, which will carry the advanced air and missile defense radar for ballistic missile defense, future USS Sam Nunn (DDG 133) is the 83rd DDG ship overall.

USS Sam Nunn (DDG 133) will be constructed by Huntington Ingalls Industries in Pascagoula, Mississippi. The ship will be 509 feet long, have a beam of 59 feet and be capable of traveling in excess of 30 knots.