laststandonzombieisland

Been lots of updates in the past few days.

I stopped by the Point in Pascagoula over the weekend and saw these greyhounds in the river.

Above, we have the future USS Jeremiah Denton (DDG-129) and George M. Neal DDG-131 in the river, with HII’s 70,000-ton capacity Chinese-built drydock uncharacteristically empty, while the planned Sam Nunn (DDG-133) is fixing to transition (which is likely why the drydock is empty). The planned Thad Cochran (DDG-135) is probably the bridge showing behind Nunn.

All are Flight III Burkes, with Denton expected to commission sometime in 2027, while the others are sometime off.

Further, from Bath on 12 October, a great shot of the future DDG-127 passing old Fort Popham in Phippsburg, Maine, as she heads out to sea for a commissioning scheduled for March 2027 at Pier 88 in New York City. In related news, Bath just got certified to build their DDGs two at a time. 

This afternoon, the future USS Patrick Gallagher sailed from Bath Iron Works, heading down the Kennebec River to join the fleet. This milestone reflects the efforts of thousands of shipbuilders whose dedication and expertise delivered the last Flight IIA Arleigh Burke-class ship to the U.S. Navy.

Fair Winds and following seas! Be Brave and Be Bold!

And of course, the Flight III USS Ted Stevens (DDG-128) was commissioned at Whittier, Alaska, earlier this month, the first time a Navy ship was commissioned there since USS Anchorage (LPD-23) in 2013. Stevens, a longtime Alaska lawmaker, also earned a DFC flying C-46s over the Hump in the CBI theatre in WWII.

With Stevens in the fleet, we now have 76 of the class in service, a record not seen since the 98 Gearings of the mid-to-late 1940s.