Ingalls hosts christening of Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee DDG 123
It was a significant milestone for Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula as the christening ceremony for Arleigh Burke-Class Guided Missile Destroyer Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee was held on Saturday.
Many gathered to witness the christening of the second ship in honor of Chief Nurse Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee who served in the Navy as one of the original Sacred Twenty, which were the first 20 women to join the newly established Navy Nurse Corps.
Rear Admiral Cynthia Keuhner, who is currently the 26th director of the Navy Nurse Corps and Naval Medical Forces Support Commander, tells News 25 it is remarkable to be able to follow Higbee’s legacy. “I’m just incredibly humbled and honored just to fulfill the vision that she set in motion at the beginning of our corps back in 1908.”
Lenah Sutcliff Higbee DDG 123 is the 34th Arleigh Burke Class Aegis Guided Missile Destroyer to be built at Ingalls. Program Management Vice President George Nungesser said, “It really means a whole lot to me and it means a lot to the shipbuilders to be able to look at this type of ceremony, take a break and look at the outstanding work that we have done to get this ship to where it is at today.”
The ship contains offensive and defensive weapons that are designed to support maritime defense needs well into the 21st century. “It has about 360 miles of cable in it, 33 miles of pipe and it can generate enough power to light up about 7,500 American homes.”
The 75th Secretary of the Navy Honorable Ray Mabus had the pleasure of naming the ship and says the ship is going to represent the values and ideas of Higbee. “It shows the contribution and the increasing contribution of women in the U.S. Navy and to all parts of American society.”
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