USS Ralph Johnson

History
Name: Ralph Johnson (DDG-114)
Namesake: Ralph H. Johnson
Ordered: 26 September 2011
Builder: Ingalls Shipbuilding
Laid down: 12 September 2014
Launched: 12 December 2015
Sponsored by: Georgeann Brady McRaven
Christened: 2 April 2016
Acquired: August 2016 (expected)[1]
Badge:
General characteristics
Class and type: Arleigh Burke-class destroyer
Displacement: 9,217 tons (full load)[2]
Length: 513 feet (156 m)[2]
Beam: 66 feet (20 m)[2]
Propulsion: 4 x General Electric LM2500 gas turbines (100,000 shp)[2]
Speed: 31 knots (36 mph; 57 km/h)[2]

Ralph Johnson (DDG-114) will be an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer. The contract to build her was awarded on 26 September 2011 to Ingalls Shipbuilding of Pascagoula, Mississippi.[3][4] On 15 February 2012, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced the ship's named to be Ralph Johnson in honor of Marine Ralph H. Johnson, who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for shielding two fellow Marines from a grenade in March 1968 during the Vietnam War.[5][6][7] The contract was worth $697.6 million fixed price, and was also the 30th Arleigh Burke-class destroyer contract issued to Ingalls Shipbuilding.[8]

Ralph Johnson will be the 64th ship of the Arleigh Burke class of destroyers, the first of which, USS Arleigh Burke (DDG-51), was commissioned in July 1991.[9] With 75 ships planned to be built in total, the class has the longest production run for any U.S. Navy surface combatant.[10] As an Arleigh Burke-class ship, Ralph Johnson's roles included anti-aircraft, anti-submarine, and anti-surface warfare, as well as strike operations.[2] During it long production run, the class was built in three flights—Flight I (DDG-51–DDG-71), Flight II (DDG-72–DDG-78), and Flight IIA (DDG-79– ).[11] Ralph Johnson will be a Flight IIA ship, and as such, will feature several improvements in terms of ballistic missile defence, an embarked air wing, and the inclusion of mine-detecting ability.[2]

In 2008, the U.S. Navy decided to restart production of the Arleigh Burke class as orders for the Zumwalt-class destroyer was reduced from ten to three.[12][13] The first three ships (DDG-113—DDG-115) ordered following the product decision are known as the "restart" ships, while "technology insertion" ships (DDG-116—DDG-123) are expected to incorporate certain elements of Arleigh Burke class Flight III, which in turn will run from DDG-124 onwards.[1] As a "restart" ship, Ralph Johnson will primarily feature upgraded avionics; she was originally scheduled to be delivered in August 2016,[1] but construction was delayed and delivery is scheduled for late 2017 after her sea trials are completed in the middle of the year.[14]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Lyle, Peter C. (2010). "DDG 51 Arleigh Burke Burke-Class Destroyer – New Construction Program" (PDF). Naval Sea Systems Command. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "DDG-51 Arleigh Burke-class". Federation of American Scientists. FAS.org. Retrieved 17 February 2012.
  3. ↑ "Ralph Johnson (DDG 114)". Naval Vessel Register. Navy.mil. 1 November 2011. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  4. ↑ "DDG 51 Class Ship Construction Contract Awards Announced" (PDF) (Press release). Naval Sea Systems Command. 26 September 2011. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  5. ↑ "Navy To Name Ships After Servicemen With Local Ties". San Diego News. 10News.com. 15 February 2012. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  6. ↑ "Navy Names Five New Ships" (Press release). U.S. Navy. 15 February 2012. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  7. ↑ Kropf, Schuyler (15 February 2012). "Navy attack ship to be named for Ralph Johnson". The Post and Courier. Evening Post Publishing Company. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  8. ↑ "U.S. Navy Awards HII USD 697.6 Million Contract for New DDG 114 Destroyer". Shipbuilding Tribune. Shipbuildingtribune.com. 27 September 2011. Archived from the original on 2 October 2011. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
  9. ↑ "USS Arleigh Burke (DDG 51)". Naval Vessel Register. Navy.mil. 3 February 2011. Retrieved 17 February 2012.
  10. ↑ Sharp, David (31 December 2009). "After 2-plus decades, Navy destroyer breaks record". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Associated Press. Retrieved 17 February 2012.
  11. ↑ "Arleigh Burke Class (Aegis), United States of America". Naval-technology.com. Net Resources International. Retrieved 17 February 2012.
  12. ↑ Ewing, Philip (31 July 2008). "Navy: No need to add DDG 1000s after all". Navy Times. Gannett Government Media. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
  13. ↑ Drew, Christopher (8 April 2009). "Contractors Agree on Deal to Build Stealth Destroyer". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
  14. ↑ "Ingalls starts fabrication of DDG 123". Marine Log. January 27, 2017. Retrieved January 28, 2017.


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