Huntington Ingalls Industries starts work on the 29th 'Arleigh Burke'-class destroyer to be built at its Ingalls Shipbuilding Division.
The start of fabrication milestone signifies that 100 tons of steel have been cut for DDG 113. Ingalls uses state-of-the-art robotic cutting machines to ensure the steel is cut and fabricated to exact Navy specifications. John Finn is expected to be delivered to the Navy in the third quarter of 2016.
Ingalls also has a contract to build a 30th destroyer, Ralph Johnson (DDG 114), with start of fabrication scheduled for 2013.
DDG 113 is named to honor John Finn, a Medal of Honor recipient who Adm. Chester Nimitz said displayed "magnificent courage in the face of almost certain death" during the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.
Ingalls has delivered 28 DDG 51 ships to the U.S. Navy. The company's 28th ship, William P. Lawrence (DDG 110), was commissioned on June 4, 2011, in Mobile, Ala. and was the most complete DDG at time of sea trials in the history of the program at Ingalls.
"This is a significant day for our company and for the U.S. Navy as Ingalls once again builds on the long legacy of surface combatant construction with the start of fabrication on DDG 113," said Bob Merchent, Ingalls' vice president, surface combatants and U.S. Coast Guard programs. "We have delivered 28 of these ships to the U.S. Navy, and our experienced and talented shipbuilders stand more than ready to produce new quality destroyers."