Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division, Pascagoula, Miss., successfully launched the future USS Jeremiah Denton (DDG 129) on March 25, 2025. The event marks the third Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyer built at the Pascagoula shipyard.
Shipbuilders transferred DDG 129 from land to dry dock using translation railcars. Once in drydock, the vessel was floated and moved to a pier with the assistance of tugboats. The ship will now proceed with final outfitting, systems activation, and testing before joining the U.S. Navy fleet, the shipyard said in a statement.
The ship is named after former U.S. Senator and Vietnam War veteran Jeremiah Denton Jr., who was awarded the Navy Cross for his heroism as a prisoner of war. Following his military service, Denton was elected to represent Alabama in the U.S. Senate in 1980.
Arleigh Burke-class Flight III destroyers are equipped with the AN/SPY-6(V)1 Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR) and the Aegis Baseline 10 Combat System, enhancing the Navy’s ability to address emerging threats in the 21st century.
Ingalls Shipbuilding currently has five Flight III destroyers under construction: Ted Stevens (DDG 128), Jeremiah Denton (DDG 129), George M. Neal (DDG 131), Sam Nunn (DDG 133), and Thad Cochran (DDG 135).
