US Navy commissions guided-missile destroyer Ralph Johnson

The Huntington Ingalls-built Aegis guided missile destroyer Ralph Johnson (DDG 114) has been commissioned by the US Navy at Charleston, South Carolina.

The 64th Arleigh Burke-class destroyer is the first warship named for Vietnam War Medal of Honor recipient Marine Private First Class Ralph Henry Johnson.

In an observation post overlooking the Quan Duc Valley, Johnson used his body to shield two fellow Marines from a grenade, absorbing the blast and dying instantly in March 1968.

The destroyer can conduct a variety of operations, from peacetime presence and crisis management to sea control and power projection.

USS Ralph Johnson is capable of engaging in air, surface and subsurface battles simultaneously. It includes integrated air and missile defence capabilities.