Keel laid for US Navy’s next Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer

General Dynamic Bath Iron Works (BIW) has laid the keel for the future USS William Charette (DDG 130), an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, being built for the U.S. Navy.

The keel laying ceremony was held on August 29 for the ship named in honor of Master Chief Hospital Corpsman William R. Charette.

“The future USS William Charette will be a welcomed addition to the fleet and another player on the field to provide the Navy with the most advanced warfighting capability,” said Capt. Seth Miller, DDG 51 Class program manager, Program Executive Office (PEO) Ships. “This ship honors the legacy of the late William Charette and his heroism during the Korean War. We are honored to have his daughters as sponsors and for the entire family to celebrate this significant milestone.”

A DDG 51 Flight III destroyer features the AN/SPY-6(V)1 Air and Missile Defense Radar and incorporates upgrades to the electrical power and cooling capacity plus additional associated changes to provide greatly enhanced warfighting capability to the fleet.

The future destroyers Harvey C. Barnum Jr. (DDG 124), Louis H. Wilson Jr. (DDG 126), Patrick Gallagher (DDG 127), Quentin Walsh (DDG 132), John E. Kilmer (DDG 134), and Richard G. Lugar (DDG 136) are also under construction at BIW.

Last summer, BIW, Huntington Ingalls Industries, and Ingalls Shipbuilding Division (HII Ingalls) secured contracts to build a total of nine Arleigh Burke-class destroyers. BIW was awarded the contract to design and construct three DDG 51 class ships, three in FY 2023-2026, with options for additional ships over the next five years.