The keel has been laid for the future USS John E. Kilmer, DDG 134, marking the formal start of assembly of another Arleigh Burke-class destroyer for the US Navy.
The ceremony took place on 10 September at General Dynamics Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine, where the ship is under construction. A keel-laying ceremony marks the joining of a ship’s first major modular components at ground level. As part of the event, the keel is authenticated when a welder inscribes the initials of the ship’s sponsor into the keel plate.
Neil W. T. Hogg, Deputy Under Secretary of the Navy for Management, told those attending: “We honor John Kilmer by building a Navy worthy of his legacy.”
He added: “The ship that carries his name will bring that same fighting spirit to the Fleet, built by American workers for the Sailors who will take her to sea.”
The destroyer is named after Hospital Corpsman John Edward Kilmer, who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Korean War. On 13 August 1952, Kilmer came under heavy fire while treating wounded Marines from Company H, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force Pacific. He was mortally wounded during the Battle of Bunker Hill while shielding a Marine from enemy fire. He was 21. The ship’s sponsor is Linda Gilday, a former US Navy civilian engineer and programme manager and the wife of Adm. Michael M. Gilday, the 32nd Chief of Naval Operations.
Capt. Jay Young, Arleigh Burke-class destroyer shipbuilding programme manager, said: “The future USS John E. Kilmer will carry on Corpsman John Kilmer’s legacy of courage, service and dedication to our country.”
He added: “DDG 134 will be a welcome addition to the fleet, providing our Navy warfighters with an undeniable strategic advantage.”
Arleigh Burke-class destroyers form a large part of the US Navy’s surface combatant force and are designed for operations across air, surface and subsurface warfare. The US Navy said the ships are used for missions ranging from routine forward presence to national security operations, providing a range of capabilities intended to protect US and allied forces and contribute to deterrence. The Navy said the ceremony “underscores the Navy’s commitment to building America’s Fleet of the Future.”
The programme is being overseen through the Portfolio Acquisition Executive for Maritime, which the Navy describes as the single accountable organisation responsible for delivering surface ships. The service said the new structure is intended to give programme leaders greater authority and a broader span of responsibility, with the aim of speeding up acquisition and delivering combat capability more quickly.
