USS Frank E. Petersen Jr.

Last updated

USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG-121) sailed in the Gulf of Mexico during builder sea trials in August 2021.jpg
USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. in August 2021
History
Flag of the United States.svgUnited States
NameFrank E. Petersen Jr.
Namesake Frank E. Petersen
Awarded3 June 2013
Builder Ingalls Shipbuilding
Laid down21 February 2017 [1]
Launched13 July 2018 [2]
Sponsored byAlicia J. Petersen, D’Arcy Neller
Christened6 October 2018 [3]
Acquired30 November 2021 [4]
Commissioned14 May 2022
Homeport Pearl Harbor
Identification Hull number: DDG-121
MottoInto the Tiger's Jaw
StatusIn active service
Badge USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG-121) Crest.png
General characteristics
Class and type Arleigh Burke-class destroyer
Displacement9,217 tons (full load) [5]
Length513 ft (156 m) [5]
Beam66 ft (20 m) [5]
Propulsion4 × General Electric LM2500 gas turbines 100,000 shp (75,000 kW) [5]
Speed31 knots (57 km/h; 36 mph) [5]
Complement380 officers and enlisted
Armament
Aircraft carried2 × MH-60R Seahawk helicopters
Aviation facilities Double hangar and helipad

USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG-121) is an Arleigh Burke-class Flight IIA guided missile destroyer in the United States Navy, the 71st overall for the class. The ship was named for United States Marine Corps Lieutenant General Frank E. Petersen Jr. [6] the first African-American Marine Corps aviator [7] and the first African-American Marine Corps general. [8] The contract for the ship, along with the name, was first announced in a press release from Huntington Ingalls Industries on 30 March 2016. [9]

Contents

Construction and career

The first "cutting of steel" took place in April 2016 [10] and her keel was laid on 21 February 2017. [11] She was launched on 13 July 2018. [12] and christened on 6 October 2018. [3] The ship was commissioned on 14 May 2022 at Charleston, South Carolina. [13]

Related Research Articles

<i>Arleigh Burke</i>-class destroyer US Navy guided-missile destroyer class

The Arleigh Burke class of guided-missile destroyers (DDGs) is a United States Navy class of destroyer centered around the Aegis Combat System and the SPY-1D multi-function passive electronically scanned array radar. The class is named for Admiral Arleigh Burke, an American destroyer officer in World War II and later Chief of Naval Operations. With an overall length of 505 to 509.5 feet, displacement ranging from 8,300 to 9,700 tons, and weaponry including over 90 missiles, the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are larger and more heavily armed than many previous classes of guided-missile cruisers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ingalls Shipbuilding</span> Shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi

Ingalls Shipbuilding is a shipyard located in Pascagoula, Mississippi, United States, originally established in 1938, and now part of HII. It is a leading producer of ships for the United States Navy, and, as of 2023, is the largest private employer in Mississippi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank E. Petersen</span> United States Marine Corps general

Frank Emmanuel Petersen Jr. was a United States Marine Corps lieutenant general. He was the first African-American Marine Corps aviator and the first African-American Marine Corps general.

USS <i>Ralph Johnson</i> Arleigh Burke-class destroyer

USS Ralph Johnson (DDG-114) is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer of the United States Navy. Ralph Johnson is the 64th ship of the class and was commissioned on 24 March 2018.

USS <i>John Finn</i> Arleigh Burke-class destroyer

USS John Finn (DDG-113) is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer in service with the United States Navy. The contract to build her was awarded to Ingalls Shipbuilding of Pascagoula, Mississippi, on 15 June 2011. Ingalls has been a subsidiary of Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) since its acquisition in April 2001. Prior to the award, Ingalls had constructed 28 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, the last one of which was USS William P. Lawrence. On 15 February 2011, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced the ship's name to be John Finn after John William Finn, the first Medal of Honor recipient of World War II. He was so honored for machine-gunning Japanese warplanes for over two hours during the December 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor despite being shot in the foot and shoulder, and suffering numerous shrapnel wounds. He retired as a lieutenant after thirty years of service and died at age 100 in 2010.

USS <i>Rafael Peralta</i>

USS Rafael Peralta (DDG-115) is an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer in the United States Navy. The destroyer can operate with a Carrier Strike Group (CSG), Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG), as an element of a Surface Action Group (SAG), or independently. The ship can conduct a variety of missions in support of national military strategy. From peacetime presence and crisis management to sea control and power projection, 115 will be capable of carrying out Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD), Undersea Warfare (USW), Surface Warfare (SW), and Strike Warfare (STW) in multi-threat environments.

USS <i>Lyndon B. Johnson</i> Zumwalt-class destroyer of the US Navy

USS Lyndon B. Johnson (DDG-1002) is the third and final Zumwalt-class destroyer built for the United States Navy. The contract to build her was awarded to Bath Iron Works located in Bath, Maine, on 15 September 2011. The award, along with funds for the construction of USS Michael Monsoor, was worth US$1.826 billion. On 16 April 2012, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced the ship would be named Lyndon B. Johnson in honor of Lyndon B. Johnson, who served as the 36th President of the United States from 1963 to 1969. Johnson served in the Navy during World War II, when he was awarded the Silver Star, and ultimately reached the U.S. Naval Reserve rank of commander. DDG-1002 is the 34th ship named by the Navy after a U.S. president.

USS <i>Thomas Hudner</i> Arleigh Burke-class destroyer

USS Thomas Hudner (DDG-116) is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer. The $663 million contract to build her was awarded on 28 February 2012, to Bath Iron Works, of Bath, Maine. On 7 May 2012, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced the ship name would be named Thomas Hudner in honor of U.S. naval aviator Thomas Hudner, who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in trying to save the life of his wingman, Ensign Jesse L. Brown, during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, in the Korean War.

USS <i>Paul Ignatius</i>

USS Paul Ignatius (DDG-117) is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer of the United States Navy. She is named for Paul Ignatius who served as United States Secretary of the Navy under President Lyndon Johnson from 1967 to 1969. Ignatius had previously served as a lieutenant in the Navy during World War II. Paul Ignatius is the second of eight planned Flight IIA "technology insertion" ships, which contains elements of the Flight III ships.

USS <i>Daniel Inouye</i> American Navy warship

USS Daniel Inouye (DDG-118) is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer in the United States Navy. She is named to honor former United States Senator Daniel Inouye of Hawaii. Inouye was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in Tuscany, Italy, during World War II. She is part of Destroyer Squadron 31 of Naval Surface Group Middle Pacific.

USS <i>Delbert D. Black</i> Arleigh Burke-class destroyer

USS Delbert D. Black (DDG-119) is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer of the United States Navy.

USS <i>Harvey C. Barnum Jr.</i> US Navy destroyer

USS Harvey C. Barnum Jr. (DDG-124) is a planned United States Navy Arleigh Burke-class Flight IIA guided missile destroyer, the 74th overall for the class. She was named in honor of Harvey C. Barnum Jr., a retired United States Marine Corps officer who received the Medal of Honor for valor during the Vietnam War. Colonel Barnum served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy and as Acting Assistant Secretary of the Navy. In a press release from General Dynamics, the parent company of Bath Iron Works, it was announced that the United States Navy has awarded funding for the planning and construction of DDG-124, for the Fiscal Year 2016. The $644.3 million contract modification fully funds this ship, and was awarded as part of a multi-year competition for Arleigh Burke-class destroyers awarded in 2013. Harvey C. Barnum Jr. is expected to be commissioned in 2025.

USS <i>Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee</i> US Navy guided-missile destroyer

USS Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG-123) is a United States Navy Arleigh Burke-class Flight IIA guided missile destroyer, the 73rd overall for the class. She is named for Chief Nurse Lenah H. Sutcliffe Higbee (1874–1941), a pioneering Navy nurse who served as Superintendent of the U.S. Navy Nurse Corps during World War I, and the first woman to be awarded the Navy Cross.

USS <i>John Basilone</i> Arleigh Burke-class destroyer

USS John Basilone (DDG-122) is a Flight IIA Arleigh Burke–class guided missile destroyer in the United States Navy. The 72nd ship in the class, she is named for United States Marine Corps Gunnery sergeant John Basilone, who received the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military award for valor, for actions during the Guadalcanal Campaign in the Pacific War. Basilone was the only enlisted Marine to receive both the Medal of Honor and the Navy Cross during World War II.

USS <i>Louis H. Wilson Jr.</i> US Navy destroyer

USS Louis H. Wilson Jr. (DDG-126) will be an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer of the United States Navy. She is the second of the Flight III variants and 76th overall in the class. She is named after U.S. Marine Corps General Louis H. Wilson Jr., recipient of the Medal of Honor. On 17 September 2016 she was named by Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus.

USS <i>Jack H. Lucas</i> Guided missile destroyer

USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG-125) is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, first of the Flight III variants and 75th overall in the class. She is named after then-Marine Corps Private First Class, later United States Army captain Jacklyn H. Lucas, recipient of the Medal of Honor. On 17 September 2016, she was named by Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus.

USS <i>Patrick Gallagher</i> US Navy guided-missile destroyer

USS Patrick Gallagher (DDG-127) is a planned United States Navy Arleigh Burke-class Flight IIA guided missile destroyer, the 77th overall for the class. She will be named for Lance Corporal Patrick Gallagher (1944–1967), an Irish-born Marine who earned the Navy Cross during the Vietnam War.

USS <i>Ted Stevens</i> Guided missile destroyer

USS Ted Stevens (DDG-128) is an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer of the United States Navy, the 78th overall for the class. She will be named in honor of Ted Stevens who served as a U.S. Senator for Alaska for over 40 years. He was also a staunch supporter of both the Navy and the Marine Corps. Ted Stevens will be the third ship of the Flight III of the class.

References

  1. "Huntington Ingalls Industries Authenticates Keel For Destroyer Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG 121)" (Press release). Huntington Ingalls Industries. 21 February 2017. Archived from the original on 8 December 2019. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
  2. "Huntington Ingalls Industries Launches Guided Missile Destroyer Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG 121)" (Press release). Huntington Ingalls Industries. 16 July 2018. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
  3. 1 2 "Huntington Ingalls Industries Christens Destroyer Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG 121)" (Press release). Huntington Ingalls Industries. 6 October 2018. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
  4. "Navy Accepts Delivery of Future USS Frank E. Petersen Jr" (Press release). NAVSEA. 1 December 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "DDG-51 Arleigh Burke-class". Federation of American Scientists . FAS.org. 2 November 2016. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  6. Bernstein, Adam (26 August 2015). "Frank Petersen Jr., first black Marine Corps pilot and general, dies at 83". Washington Post. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  7. "MSNBC, LtGen Frank E. Petersen, First Black Aviator". MSNBC . 28 August 2015. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  8. "Encyclopedia.com, Frank E. Petersen 1932– bio" . Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  9. "HII.com, DDG-121 Contract Awarded To Ingalls Shipbuilding" . Retrieved 31 March 2016.
  10. "USS Frank E Petersen Jr Begins Fabrication". US Navy. Retrieved 10 December 2016. The milestone, which signifies the first 100 tons of steel being cut, was marked with a ceremony held in the shipyard's fabrication shop, April 27.
  11. "Keel Laid for Future USS Frank E. Petersen Jr" (Press release). United States Navy. 21 February 2017. Archived from the original on 23 December 2017. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  12. "US Navy Launches Future USS Frank E. Petersen Jr" (Press release). United States Navy. 16 July 2018. NNS180716-21. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  13. "U.S. Navy Commissions Arleigh Burke-Class Destroyer Frank E. Petersen, Jr. (DDG 121)". Naval News. 14 May 2022. Retrieved 16 May 2022.