PHOTO RELEASE--Huntington Ingalls Industries Christens Destroyer Paul Ignatius (DDG 117)
April 08 2017 - 3:28PM
Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (NYSE:HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding
division christened its 31st Arleigh Burke-class guided missile
destroyer, Paul Ignatius (DDG 117), with approximately 1,000 guest
in attendance at today’s ceremony.
“These Arleigh Burke destroyers provide our leaders with the
ability to conduct a wide range of missions,” said Chief of Naval
Operations Adm. John M. Richardson. “That kind of flexibility is
increasingly important in the world of maritime competition. … USS
Ignatius and her crew will be doing the nation’s work, providing
credible options to our nation’s leaders for decades to come.
They’ll be respected always, welcome news to our friends and a
worst nightmare to our enemies. Our body, the ship, is tough, built
with the best materials in the hands of the best shipbuilders and
manned by the best crew America can produce.”
DDG 117 is named in honor of Paul Ignatius, who served as the
United States’ 59th Secretary of the Navy from 1967 to 1969. He
made significant contributions during the administrations of
presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. Ignatius is a
living namesake and was in attendance for today’s ceremony.
A photo accompanying this release is available at:
http://newsroom.huntingtoningalls.com/file?fid=58e92f46a138352df0aeca02.
“I want to express my appreciation to the men and women of
one of the world’s best—if not the best shipyard—here at Huntington
Ingalls, whose ships, as their motto proudly proclaims, are built
stronger than steel,” Ignatius said. “One of the great strengths of
our country is the industrial might that builds ships, tanks and
airplanes that ensured victory in World War II and that continue to
undergird our efforts to maintain stability amid the new threats
that face us.”
Nancy W. Ignatius, his wife, is the ship’s sponsor and
officially christened the ship after successfully breaking a bottle
of sparkling wine across its bow. Paul and Nancy Ignatius have been
married nearly 70 years and have four children together. They were
escorted to the platform by Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian
Cuccias.
“Ingalls ships are built with one goal in mind: to protect the
brave men and women who protect our freedom,” Cuccias said.
“Working closely with our Navy partner, we continue to improve on
each ship we build. And the Paul Ignatius will be no exception.
Today, we are investing hundreds of millions of dollars in
modernizing our facilities alongside our partners, the leadership
of the great state of Mississippi. Combine that with a hot
production line and our talented and experienced shipbuilders, and
we are uniquely positioned to provide our country with the highest
quality, most capable destroyers in the fleet. Simply stated,
Ingalls builds the finest, most capable warships the world has ever
known … right here in Pascagoula, Mississippi.”
Ingalls has delivered 29 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers to the
U.S. Navy. Other destroyers currently under construction at Ingalls
include Ralph Johnson (DDG 114), Delbert D. Black (DDG 119), Frank
E. Petersen Jr. (DDG 121) and Lenah H. Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG
123).
“Two days ago, when the United States fired missiles on Syria,
the two ships that fired those missiles were made right here at
Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula,” said Philip Gunn, Speaker of
the Mississippi House of Representatives. “So as you can see,
between World War II and as recently as two days ago and every
point in between, Ingalls shipyard has been an integral part of
providing freedom. Every one of us ought to feel the weight of
that, every one of us ought to be grateful for that, and every one
of us ought to be proud of what takes place at Ingalls.”
Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are highly capable, multi-mission
ships that can conduct a variety of operations, from peacetime
presence and crisis management to sea control and power projection,
all in support of the United States’ military strategy. DDGs are
capable of simultaneously fighting air, surface and subsurface
battles. The ship contains myriad offensive and defensive weapons
designed to support maritime defense needs well into the 21st
century.
Huntington Ingalls Industries is America’s largest military
shipbuilding company and a provider of professional services to
partners in government and industry. For more than a century, HII’s
Newport News and Ingalls shipbuilding divisions in Virginia and
Mississippi have built more ships in more ship classes than any
other U.S. naval shipbuilder. HII’s Technical Solutions division
provides a wide range of professional services through its Fleet
Support, Integrated Missions Solutions, Nuclear &
Environmental, and Oil & Gas groups. Headquartered in Newport
News, Virginia, HII employs nearly 37,000 people operating both
domestically and internationally. For more information,
visit:
- HII on the web: www.huntingtoningalls.com
- HII on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/HuntingtonIngallsIndustries
- HII on Twitter: twitter.com/hiindustries
Contact:
Bill Glenn
william.glenn@hii-co.com
228-935-1323
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