Navy to christen DDG 119

The Navy will christen the newest guided-missile destroyer, the future USS Delbert D. Black (DDG 119), during a 10 a.m. CT ceremony Nov. 4 at Huntington Ingalls Industries' shipbuilding division in Pascagoula, Miss. It will be the 69th Arleigh Burke-class destroyer and is the fifth of 13 ships currently under contract for the DDG 51 program. The ship will be configured as a Flight IIA destroyer. Delbert D. Black will be equipped with the Navy's Aegis Combat System, and will incorporate Cooperative Engagement Capability that when combined with the Aegis Combat System will permit groups of ships and aircraft to link radars to provide a composite picture of the battle space effectively increasing the theater space. The capability is designed to provide the Navy with a 21st century fighting edge. The nearly 9,500-ton Delbert D. Black is 509.5 feet in length, has a waterline beam of 59 feet and has a navigational draft of 31 feet. Four gas turbine engines will power the ship to speeds in excess of 30 knots. (Source: DoD, 11/02/17)