It goes on and on

The US Navy already has 65 of them, and the end is still a long way off: the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are still coming to the Navy. A few days ago, Ingalls Shipbuilding began cutting the first steel plates for the USS "Jeremiah Denton". The fourth ship of Flight III will carry the Hull number 129 and will be the 79th ship of its class to enter service. The ship is named after a Vietnam veteran and former US senator. He served 34 years in the Navy as a test pilot, flight instructor and squadron commander.

The ships displace 9300 tonnes with a length of 160 metres. The main armament consists of two vertical launchers with 32 or 64 cells and a 130-millimetre cannon. The FK launchers can carry SM-2s, Tomahawks or Asroc. There is also the option of taking two SH-60 Sea Hawks on board.

Text: mb; Photo: HII/Derek Fountain