An artist rendering of the future Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS William Charette (DDG 131). Source: Defense Visual Information Distribution Service

General Dynamics Bath Iron Works (BIW) has marked a milestone in naval shipbuilding with the keel laying of the future USS William Charette (DDG 130), the fifth ship in the Flight III series of Arleigh Burke-class destroyers.

The ceremony, held on 29 August 2024, emphasises the continued advancement of naval defence capabilities as the US Navy modernises its fleet.

Rear Adm. Darin Via, US Navy Surgeon General and Chief of the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery addressed the gathering, emphasising the significance of the ship’s name. “The future USS William Charette will not only be a symbol of American strength but also a testament to the courage and dedication of Navy corpsmen.

To have a ship named after a Navy corpsman is to hold to the maxim of ‘Corpsman Up!’ and embodies the ethos of courage, fidelity and service before self.”

The keel laying ceremony represents the start of hull integration for the USS William Charette, transitioning from a collection of individual units to a cohesive ship structure. Charles F. Krugh, President of BIW, highlighted the importance of this phase: “The keel-laying ceremony celebrates an important milestone in the ship’s life. Rather than a collection of units moving through our production buildings, William Charette is now being integrated into a ship on Land Level.

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Shipbuilders, including welders, shipfitters, electricians, pipefitters, machinists and preservation technicians, will now connect, install and protect ship services as we move toward launch.” The ceremony featured the traditional keel authentication process.

The USS William Charette is part of a broader initiative to enhance the US Navy’s destroyer fleet with Flight III capabilities. In addition to DDG 130, Bath Iron Works is also constructing other Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, including the Louis H. Wilson Jr. (DDG 126), Quentin Walsh (DDG 132), John E. Kilmer (DDG 134), and Richard G. Lugar (DDG 136).

The Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, the latest iteration of the Arleigh Burke series that first entered service in 1991, feature air and ballistic missile defence capabilities with the integration of the AN/SPY-6(V)1 radar and Aegis Baseline 10 combat system. The first of these, USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125), was delivered to the US Navy by Ingalls Shipbuilding in June 2023 after successful sea and acceptance trials.

General Dynamics Bath Iron Works began constructing its first Flight III ship, USS Louis H. Wilson Jr (DDG 126), in March 2020. The keel of the George M. Neal was authenticated in December 2023. This construction is alongside the construction of Flight IIA ships such as Harvey C. Barnum Jr. (DDG 124) and Patrick Gallagher (DDG 127), which had its keel-laying ceremony in 2022.