US Navy christens destroyer Daniel Inouye

The US Navy christened its newest Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, the future USS Daniel Inouye, at General Dynamics Bath Iron Works’ shipyard on Saturday, June 22.

The destroyer honours Daniel Inouye, who served as a United States Senator for Hawaii from 1963 until his death in 2012. He received the Medal of Honor June 21, 2000, for his extraordinary heroism in action while serving with as a US Army officer in Italy during World War II.

During an assault on April 21, 1945, an exploding grenade shattered Inouye’s right arm. Despite the intense pain, he refused evacuation, and instead remained at the head of his platoon until they broke the enemy resistance and his men deployed in defensive positions, continuing to fight until the regiment’s position was secured.

The future USS Daniel Inouye will be the 68th Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, and is one of 21 ships currently under contract for the DDG 51 programme. The ship is configured as a Flight IIA destroyer, which enables power projection and delivers quick reaction time, high firepower, and increased electronic countermeasures capability for anti-air warfare.