The US Navy’s future guided-missile destroyer Ted Stevens (DDG 128) has departed HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division for its homeport in Norfolk, Virginia.
DDG 128, the third Arleigh Burke-class vessel in the Flight III configuration, honors former Alaska Senator Ted Stevens, a decorated World War II Army Air Corps veteran and longtime advocate for military modernization and Alaska statehood.
The ship completed its final trials in November 2025 and is scheduled for commissioning later this year in Whittier, Alaska.
Designed to protect carrier strike groups, the destroyer can conduct missions including anti-submarine, surface, and electronic warfare.
Fitted with the AN/SPY-6(V)1 radar system and the Aegis Baseline 10 combat system, the warship is designed to handle modern threats, including advanced cruise and ballistic missiles and hypersonic threats.
“The sail-away of Ted Stevens reflects the strong momentum of our Flight III destroyer deliveries and the team’s work to deliver the most capable and combat-ready ships to the fleet,” said Chris Brown, Ingalls Shipbuilding DDG 51 program manager.
Arleigh Burke-Class Flight III
The US Navy has ordered 24 Arleigh Burke-class Flight III destroyers, with HII Ingalls Shipbuilding and General Dynamics Bath Iron Works serving as the program’s primary contractors.
Flight III destroyers begin with the USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125), which Ingalls delivered in June 2023.
Five more Flight III warships are under construction with the shipbuilder: the future Jeremiah Denton (DDG 129), George M. Neal (DDG 131), Sam Nunn (DDG 133), Thad Cochran (DDG 135), and John F. Lehman (DDG 137).
Meanwhile, Telesforo Trinidad (DDG 139), Ernest E. Evans (DDG 141), Charles French (DDG 142), Richard J. Danzig (DDG 143), Intrepid (DDG 145), Robert Kerrey (DDG 146), and Ray Mabus (DDG 147) are in the early pre-planning and material procurement stages.
