WASHINGTON, D.C. – During an Armed Services Committee hearing today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), a member of that Committee, thanked Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus and Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Jonathan W. Greenert for recently exercising a contract option to construct the fifth Arleigh Burke class destroyer (DDG-51) at Bath Iron Works (BIW) as a part of the Navy’s Fiscal Year 2013-2017 multi-year DDG-51-class procurement.  

“I just want to thank Secretary Mabus and Admiral Greenert for your work to move forward with the fifth Destroyer, which is going to be built up in Maine at Bath Iron Works,” Senator King said. “As you know, it will probably be the cheapest ship in the whole series. It’s important to us, it’s important to the people of Maine, and we’re very proud of that shipyard and proud of the work that they’re doing.”

Senator King also invited Secretary Mabus and Admiral Greenert, as well as members of the Armed Services Committee, to attend the commissioning of the USS Zumwalt (DDG-1000) in April.

“On April 12^th, we are commissioning the Zumwalt, which I’ve seen under construction now, and it’s one of the most amazing ships, I think, in the world. I would certainly invite members of the Committee and anyone else to join us in Bath, Maine on April 12^th. That’s going to be an extraordinary day,” Senator King said. “[The ship] is an amazing piece of military equipment.”

The USS Zumwalt will be the lead ship in the Navy's newest destroyer class, designed for littoral operations and land attack.

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