BATH, Maine – General Dynamics Bath Iron Works celebrated the start of fabrication of the future USS Quentin Walsh (DDG 132) Tuesday at the Structural Fabrication Facility in East Brunswick.
DDG 132 is the 44th of its class built in Bath and the third Flight III Arleigh Burke destroyer to start construction at Bath Iron Works. Advancements in radar and combat systems will make Flight III Arleigh Burkes the most technologically advanced surface combatants in the world. Shipfitter Mark Lancaster, a BIW employee for more than 35 years, was selected to activate the burning machine to cut the first steel for the ship.
Dirk Lesko, president of Bath Iron Works, said the employees of BIW are proud to be a part of constructing the newest and most capable surface combatant to the Navy. “Initiating construction of a state-of-the-art ship for our Navy customer is a major event in the shipyard and we are committed to building a ship of exceptional quality at every stage of the production process. Our workforce has shown remarkable resilience over the past 18 months and is clearly up to the challenge.”
The ship is named for Coast Guard Capt. Quentin Walsh, who led a 50-man team that captured the French port city of Cherbourg during World War II. Walsh, in a daring deception, convinced the German commander of the 300-man garrison at the city’s fort to surrender because Cherbourg had already fallen.
More information about General Dynamics Bath Iron Works, a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), can be found at www.gdbiw.com.
