Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Ingalls Shipbuilding division delivered the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer Delbert D. Black (DDG 119) to the U.S. Navy.
Documents signed mark the official transfer of custody of the ship from HII to the Navy. Delbert D. Black is scheduled to sail away from the shipyard in August 2020.
“We are proud to deliver our 32nd state-of-the-art destroyer to the Navy,” Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Cuccias said. “Our workforce plays a critical role in protecting those who serve our nation. We continue to fulfill our mission as shipbuilders by building highly capable warships that meet and exceed the needs of our military partners.”
DDG 119 is the first ship named in honor of Navy veteran Delbert D. Black, who served as a gunner’s mate and was aboard the battleship USS Maryland (BB 46) during the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
The shipyard currently has four more DDGs under construction including Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG 121), Lenah H. Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG 123), Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125) and Ted Stevens (DDG 128).
Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are highly capable, multi-mission ships and can conduct a variety of operations, from peacetime presence and crisis management to sea control and power projection, all in support of the United States military strategy.
Guided missile destroyers are capable of simultaneously fighting air, surface and subsurface battles. The ship contains myriad offensive and defensive weapons designed to support maritime defense needs well into the 21st century.