HII to build future DDG Neal

WASHINGTON - Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer named a future Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer (DDG 131) in honor of Korean War veteran, and Navy Cross Recipient, Aviation Machinist’s Mate 3rd Class George M. Neal. Neal, a native of Springfield, Ohio, served with Helicopter Utility Squadron ONE (HU-1), a helicopter rescue unit embarked from Australian light cruiser HMAS Sydney during the Korean War. Arleigh Burke-class destroyers conduct a variety of operations from peacetime presence and crisis response to sea control and power projection. The future USS George M. Neal (DDG 131) will be a Flight III destroyer capable of fighting air, surface and subsurface battles simultaneously, and will contain a combination of offensive and defensive weapon systems designed to support maritime warfare, including integrated air and missile defense and vertical launch capabilities. The ship will be constructed at Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Pascagoula, Miss., shipyard. (Source: Secretary of the Navy 03/26/19)