BATH, Maine – On Saturday, June 22, General Dynamics Bath Iron Works christened the U.S. Navy’s newest guided missile destroyer, Daniel Inouye (DDG 118). The ship is named for Sen. Daniel Inouye, one of the longest serving U.S. senators who received the Medal of Honor for heroism in World War II as part of the 442nd Japanese-American regiment, one of the most decorated units of its size during the war.
The Saturday morning christening ceremony took place at Bath Iron Works’ shipyard. Speakers included Gov. Janet Mills, Sen. Susan Collins, Sen. Angus King and principal speaker Sen. Mazie K. Hirono of Hawaii. Irene Hirano Inouye, wife of the late senator, was the ship’s sponsor and officially christened the ship by breaking a bottle of sparkling wine against its bow.
“So let us hope that this ship which will carry his name will serve as an inspiration to those not only who will sail on it but to those who will understand that Dan, who was in the military, was opposed to war as someone who saw the horrors of war firsthand,” Ms. Hirano Inouye said. “Dan always believed that the best way to ensure that we could avoid war was to have the strongest military that we could.”
Dirk Lesko, president of General Dynamics Bath Iron Works, said Sen. Inouye’s “willingness to sacrifice for his country, and to dedicate his life to the work of its governance is as humbling as it is extraordinary. That sense of duty and commitment to a cause greater than oneself, is honored today in the remarkable ship you see here…we can all feel a great sense of pride in both the impressive ship that towers over us, and in contributions made by a team of thousands, inside and outside the shipyard, which created her.”
In addition to Daniel Inouye, Bath Iron Works currently has under construction the Zumwalt-class destroyer Lyndon B. Johnson and Arleigh Burke-class destroyers Carl M. Levin (DDG 120), John Basilone (DDG 122), Harvey C. Barnum Jr. (DDG 124) and Patrick Gallagher (DDG 127).
View event photos here.