USS Frank E. Petersen Jr.

USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. in August 2021
History
United States
Name	Frank E. Petersen Jr.
Namesake	Frank E. Petersen
Awarded	3 June 2013
Builder	Ingalls Shipbuilding
Laid down	21 February 2017 [1]
Launched	13 July 2018 [2]
Sponsored by	Alicia J. Petersen, D’Arcy Neller
Christened	6 October 2018 [3]
Acquired	30 November 2021 [4]
Commissioned	14 May 2022
Homeport	Pearl Harbor
Identification	Hull number: DDG-121
Motto	Into the Tiger's Jaw
Status	In active service
Badge
General characteristics
Class & type	Arleigh Burke-class destroyer
Displacement	9,217 tons (full load) [5]
Length	513 ft (156 m) [5]
Beam	66 ft (20 m) [5]
Propulsion	4 × General Electric LM2500 gas turbines 100,000 shp (75,000 kW) [5]
Speed	31 knots (57 km/h; 36 mph) [5]
Complement	380 officers and enlisted
Armament	Guns: 1 × 5-inch (127 mm)/62 Mk 45 Mod 4 (lightweight gun) 1 × 20 mm (0.8 in) Phalanx CIWS 2 × 25 mm (0.98 in) Mk 38 machine gun system 4 × 0.50 inches (12.7 mm) caliber guns Missiles: 1 × 32-cell, 1 × 64-cell (96 total cells) Mk 41 vertical launching system (VLS): RIM-66M surface-to-air missile RIM-156 surface-to-air missile RIM-174A standard ERAM RIM-161 anti-ballistic missile RIM-162 ESSM (quad-packed) BGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missile RUM-139 vertical launch ASROC Torpedoes: 2 × Mark 32 triple torpedo tubes: Mark 46 lightweight torpedo Mark 50 lightweight torpedo Mark 54 lightweight torpedo
Aircraft carried	2 × MH-60R Seahawk helicopters
Aviation facilities	Double hangar and helipad

USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG-121) is an Arleigh Burke-class (Flight IIA Technology Insertion) Aegis guided missile destroyer in the United States Navy. ^[6] The ship was named for United States Marine Corps Lieutenant General Frank E. Petersen Jr. ^[7] the first African-American Marine Corps aviator ^[8] and the first African-American Marine Corps general. ^[9] The contract for the ship, along with the name, was first announced in a press release from Huntington Ingalls Industries on 30 March 2016. ^[10]

Construction and career

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

USS Frank E. Petersen Jr returned to their home port, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, 12 December 2024, after a five-month maiden deployment assigned to the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group (ABECSG). Throughout deployment, Frank E. Petersen Jr. completed over 475 hours of flight quarters, 10 hours of small boat operations, conducted 17 replenishments-at-sea, 15 sea and anchor details, qualified 60 sailors in small craft action team (SCAT) and 17 sailors in Security Reaction Force Basic (SRF-B). Frank E. Petersen Jr. also welcomed six new chief petty officers, six new first class petty officers and 18 new second class petty officers. ^[15]

Awards

• Battle "E" – (2024) ^[16]

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. "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. "DDG-51 Arleigh Burke-class". Federation of American Scientists . FAS.org. 2 November 2016. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
6. "DDG 51 Arleigh DDG 51 Arleigh Burke-Class Destroyer Destroyer -New Construction Program Construction Program" (PDF). Navy Sea Systems Command. United States Department of the Navy. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 April 2012. Retrieved 24 January 2025. Alt URL
7. Bernstein, Adam (26 August 2015). "Frank Petersen Jr., first black Marine Corps pilot and general, dies at 83". Washington Post. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
8. "MSNBC, LtGen Frank E. Petersen, First Black Aviator". MSNBC . 28 August 2015. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
9. "Encyclopedia.com, Frank E. Petersen 1932– bio" . Retrieved 5 April 2016.
10. "HII.com, DDG-121 Contract Awarded To Ingalls Shipbuilding" . Retrieved 31 March 2016.
11. "USS Frank E Petersen Jr Begins Fabrication". US Navy. Archived from the original on 29 April 2016. 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.
12. "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.
13. "US Navy Launches Future USS Frank E. Petersen Jr" (Press release). United States Navy. 16 July 2018. NNS180716-21. Archived from the original on 16 July 2018. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
14. "U.S. Navy Commissions Arleigh Burke-Class Destroyer Frank E. Petersen, Jr. (DDG 121)". Naval News. 14 May 2022. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
15. "USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. & USS Michael Murphy Return to Pearl Harbor after Deployment". US Navy. 13 December 2024. Retrieved 28 April 2025. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
16. "USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG 121) Awarded the 2024 Battle Effectiveness "E" Award".

•  This article incorporates public domain material from Frank E Petersen Jr (DDG-121) at the Naval Vessel Register .

External links

• Official website
• USMC History Division, Frank E. Petersen Jr.
• Marines.mil, Lt. Gen. Frank Petersen remembered, honored Archived 19 April 2016 at the Wayback Machine
• Military Times, Frank E. Petersen – Awards and Citations Archived 17 April 2016 at the Wayback Machine