Keel Ceremony for Newest Destroyer
The men and women of our armed forces defend our country by land, sea and air. Some of the weapons that they use are created right here on the Coast.
DDG class destroyers are the most advanced state of the art surface combatants in the world. Ingalls Shipbuilding has been charged with building them. News 25’s Bryan Kennedy was at the shipyard today as the company signified the construction of its newest destroyer.
Ninety-five year-old Honorable Paul Ignatius mouths the words to a song that represents the country he fought for. “Well, I love the Navy. I served as a naval officer for four years during the Second World War and it’s just unbelievable there will be a war ship sailing for many decades ahead named after me.”
Assistant secretary of the Army, assistant secretary of defense and secretary of the Army, Ignatius has held many titles while serving our country but he tells News 25 naval ship namesake may be his best yet. “Well, this is one of the biggest thrills of my life, I can tell you and for my wife, also. It’s a great honor to be here and have this great ship named after me.”
The keel, considered the backbone of the ship, will eventually have a metal plate welded to it, engraved with the initials of the ships namesake and co-authenticator.
What made today’s ceremony even more special was the namesake was on hand. This is something Ingalls President Brian Cuccias has never seen before and he took full advantage of it. “Before he came out here, the stories he was telling, it was like rolling back a history page. He has so much character and so many parts of our country is people like Paul Ignatius. It’s wonderful to have him here to celebrate this event.”
While it may not look like much now, in a few short years, the Paul Ignatius DDG 117 will be America’s newest weapon to defend our country. It’ll defend with force and technology. Captain Mark Vandroff, U.S. Navy DDG program manager, said, “It provides air defense. It provides anti-surface capability. Through its tomahawk missiles it provides attack capability and it provides submarine warfare.” The Paul Ignatius DDG 117 will be delivered to the Navy in 2018.
The Paul Ignatius DDG 117 is only the third of five destroyers Ingalls has been contracted by the Navy to build.
DDG class destroyers are the most advanced state of the art surface combatants in the world. Ingalls Shipbuilding has been charged with building them. News 25’s Bryan Kennedy was at the shipyard today as the company signified the construction of its newest destroyer.
Ninety-five year-old Honorable Paul Ignatius mouths the words to a song that represents the country he fought for. “Well, I love the Navy. I served as a naval officer for four years during the Second World War and it’s just unbelievable there will be a war ship sailing for many decades ahead named after me.”
Assistant secretary of the Army, assistant secretary of defense and secretary of the Army, Ignatius has held many titles while serving our country but he tells News 25 naval ship namesake may be his best yet. “Well, this is one of the biggest thrills of my life, I can tell you and for my wife, also. It’s a great honor to be here and have this great ship named after me.”
The keel, considered the backbone of the ship, will eventually have a metal plate welded to it, engraved with the initials of the ships namesake and co-authenticator.
What made today’s ceremony even more special was the namesake was on hand. This is something Ingalls President Brian Cuccias has never seen before and he took full advantage of it. “Before he came out here, the stories he was telling, it was like rolling back a history page. He has so much character and so many parts of our country is people like Paul Ignatius. It’s wonderful to have him here to celebrate this event.”
While it may not look like much now, in a few short years, the Paul Ignatius DDG 117 will be America’s newest weapon to defend our country. It’ll defend with force and technology. Captain Mark Vandroff, U.S. Navy DDG program manager, said, “It provides air defense. It provides anti-surface capability. Through its tomahawk missiles it provides attack capability and it provides submarine warfare.” The Paul Ignatius DDG 117 will be delivered to the Navy in 2018.
The Paul Ignatius DDG 117 is only the third of five destroyers Ingalls has been contracted by the Navy to build.
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