USS J. William Middendorf

J. William Middendorf's sister ship John E. Kilmer (artist's rendering)
History
United States
Name	J. William Middendorf
Namesake	J. William Middendorf
Builder	Bath Iron Works
Identification	Hull number: DDG-138
Status	Authorized
General characteristics
Class & type	Arleigh Burke-class destroyer
Displacement	9,217 tons (full load) [1]
Length	510 ft (160 m) [1]
Beam	66 ft (20 m) [1]
Propulsion	4 × General Electric LM2500 gas turbines 100,000 shp (75,000 kW) [1]
Speed	31 knots (57 km/h; 36 mph) [1]
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 in (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
Armor	Kevlar-type armor with steel hull. Numerous passive survivability measures.
Aircraft carried	2 × MH-60R Seahawk helicopters
Aviation facilities	Double hangar and helipad

USS J. William Middendorf (DDG-138) is the planned 88th Arleigh Burke-class (Flight III) Aegis guided missile destroyer of the United States Navy. ^[2] She will honor J. William Middendorf, a former Secretary of the Navy and US Ambassador to the Netherlands. The name was announced 10 June 2022. ^[3]

Construction

In June 2022, the Secretary of the Navy announced that an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer would be named USS J. William Middendorf, to be built by General Dynamics Bath Iron Works. ^[4] The keel plate unveiling ceremony was held on 11 December 2023, at the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island. ^[5]

References

1. "DDG-51 Arleigh Burke-class". Federation of American Scientists . FAS.org. 2 November 2016. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
2. "J. William Middendorf (DDG-138)". Naval Vessel Register . Retrieved 19 May 2022.
3. "SECNAV Names Future Arleigh Burke-class Destroyer USS J. William Middendorf". United States Navy. 10 June 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
4. Cohen, Ted (27 October 2025). "Ex-Navy Secretary For Whom Bath Iron Works Destroyer To Be Christened Dead at 101". The Maine Wire. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
5. Mooney, Tom (12 December 2023). "This RI resident, former Navy secretary, will have a destroyer named after him. What to know". The Providence Journal. Retrieved 19 November 2025.

•  This article incorporates public domain material from J William Middendorf (DDG-138) at the Naval Vessel Register .