Construction has officially begun on the new Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer Quentin Walsh (DDG 132), named after a World War II hero and Navy Cross recipient.
The vessel’s keel was laid May 20 during a ceremony at General Dynamics’ Bath Iron Works in Maine, during which Walsh’s great-granddaughter, Madison Ann Zolper, welded her initials into the keel plate as is customary for a ship’s sponsor.
Walsh, a captain in the U.S. Coast Guard, helped plan the capture of Cherbourg in the days leading up to the invasion of Normandy on D-Day on June 6, 1944. He earned his place in history when, in a series of daring enterprises, he captured about 750 German soldiers with a force of 53 men and liberated 52 U.S. paratroopers in the wake of the D-Day landings. He continued to lead a life of military and community service after the war.
“We are honored to mark the beginning of the construction for the future USS Quentin Walsh and celebrate his legacy with his family. DDG 132 will provide our Navy with critical strategic capabilities to support Fleet readiness,” said Capt. Jay Young, Arleigh Burke-class destroyer program manager of Program Executive Office Ships, in a release.
The vessel will be equipped with AN/SPY-6(V)1 Air and Missile Defense Radar, a four-sided phased array radar that can defend against a wide variety of missiles, including hypersonic missiles, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles. Ships equipped with SPY-6 radar technology can also counter threats from surface vessels and the air, as well as electronic attacks.
Zita Ballinger Fletcher previously served as editor of Military History Quarterly and Vietnam magazines and as the historian of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. She holds an M.A. with distinction in military history.
