BATH, Maine – On Saturday, April 27, General Dynamics Bath Iron Works christened the U.S. Navy’s newest guided missile destroyer, Lyndon B. Johnson (DDG 1002). The ship is named for President Lyndon B. Johnson, whose achievements while president included the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act, Medicare and Head Start as well as strong support for the U.S. space program and its Apollo missions.
The Saturday morning christening ceremony took place at Bath Iron Works’ shipyard. Speakers included Sen. Susan Collins, Sen. Angus King, Rep. Chellie Pingree and Rep. Jared Golden. Lynda Johnson Robb and Luci Baines Johnson, daughters of the late president, were the ship’s sponsors and officially christened the ship by breaking bottles of sparkling wine against its bow.
Dirk Lesko, president of General Dynamics Bath iron Works, said “When DDG 1002, Lyndon B. Johnson joins the US Navy fleet, it will do so with the promise of Maine’s shipbuilders that “Bath Built is Best Built.”
Mrs. Robb, the principal speaker, said naming the most technologically advanced ship in the Navy after her father was an honor and appropriate given President Johnson’s focus on the future. “These shipbuilders and this Navy realize, with daddy, that we need to look forward,” she said.
The keel for Lyndon B. Johnson was laid on Jan. 30, 2017. The ship launched with a redesigned steel superstructure built by Bath Iron Works. The DDG 1000 class features a hull designed to create a low radar profile, an integrated power system and a total ship computing environment infrastructure.
In addition to Lyndon B. Johnson, Bath Iron Works currently has under construction Arleigh Burke-class destroyers Daniel Inouye (DDG 118), Carl M. Levin (DDG 120), John Basilone (DDG 122), Harvey C. Barnum Jr. (DDG 124) and Patrick Gallagher (DDG 127).
View event photos here.