220326-N-MH203-1004 PASCAGOULA, Miss. (Mar. 26, 2022) Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday speaks at the christening ceremony for the future Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125) in Pascagoula, Mississippi, March 26. (U.S. Navy photo by Cmdr. Courtney Hillson/released)
Updated 6/28/2023 at 7:58 am ET with comments from the US Navy.
MODERN DAY MARINE 2023 — HII today is delivering the first flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, Jack H. Lucas, to the Navy, according to a company official.
George Nungesser, vice president of program management for Ingalls Shipbuilding, told a group of reporters here at the Modern Day Marine exposition that the ship underwent four sea trials in recent months to test and demonstrate that the new combat system and SPY-6 radar were meeting the ship’s requirements.
“When you look at major milestones [in the shipbuilding process], as you get through the trials, there are what we call trial cards that are written by the customer, and we take those trial cards and close them,” he said. “That also will occur after delivery.”
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He added that the ship will stay at HII’s shipyard for roughly four months after the delivery. During that time the crew will eventually move aboard, and the company will be able to resolve any outstanding issues from the “trial cards” produced during sea trials. The crew move-in is scheduled for sometime within the next several weeks, and the ship is anticipated to sail away in roughly 120 days, according to Nungesser.
The ship carries its name in honor of Private First Class Jacklyn Lucas, who earned the Medal of Honor at age 17 for diving on two grenades during the Iwo Jima campaign during the Second World War — and survived until passing away of cancer in 2008, according to the Navy.“This ship represents our nation’s strength, grit, tenacity, and is a tangible example of Lucas’ legacy,” Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday said during the ship’s christening ceremony in March. “For a ship that aspires to shield our Sailors and defend freedom, the name Jack H. Lucas is not only fitting, but a standard of bravery and toughness for which the ship, captain and crew will always strive.”
The delivery of the Jack H. Lucas (DDG-125) is the first for the Navy’s flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, a class of ship that has become the Navy’s workhorse vessel in recent years and is equipped with the latest technology available to the service. That tech includes the SPY-6 radar, produced by Raytheon, as well as changes to the ship’s electrical power and cooling systems.
The Navy in a statement on Tuesday confirmed the ship’s delivery and said it “represents the official transfer of the ship from the shipbuilder to the Navy.”
“Delivery of the future USS Jack H. Lucas is an historic occasion. As the Navy’s first Flight III destroyer, DDG 125 brings the most advanced Integrated Air and Missile Defense capability to the fleet,” said Capt. Seth Miller, DDG-51 class program manager.
The service’s fiscal 2024 budget request includes two Arleigh Burke-class destroyers with an estimated combined cost of $4.4 billion — a request the congressional committees overseeing the Pentagon’s budget have been supportive of thus far as legislators continue to mark up and release their draft defense bills.
