BATH, ME – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, delivered remarks today at the christening of USS Zumwalt (DDG-1000) at Bath Iron Works (BIW). In his remarks, Senator King praised the talented men and women of BIW for their extraordinary work in building the next generation warship; spoke to the enduring legacy of the ship's namesake, Admiral Elmo "Bud" Zumwalt; applauded the men and women of the US Navy who will crew the ship; and underscored the critical role it will play in our country's Naval fleet.

Senator King's complete remarks, as delivered, are below:

“The launch, christening and commissioning of a great warship are acts of audacity, courage and confidence ­­– made all the more so when that ship is the first of its kind in the world. She is an audacious statement by her draftsmen and designers, by her builders – and by builders I mean the men and women who pulled the pipes, welded the great hull, aligned the shaft and did those thousands – no, did those millions of other tasks – which took her from conception to this terrifying reality. She is also an act of courage by those who conceived her, by those who saw her role in the future of our navy, and those who will soon board her with the prospect of conflict and confrontation ever-present.

"She is a living manifestation of the courage of he whose name she bears. And finally, she is a statement of confidence; confidence in her builders – in every weld, every wire, every line of her bow, and confidence as well in those who will take her from us on their way to the deep waters of a dangerous world.

"We pray she will never see war, or smell the acrid smoke of battle – that her capacity and awful capabilities will instead deter enemies, and her greatest victories will be those battles thus never fought. God Bless this ship and God bless the United States of America.”

Named for former Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Elmo Russell "Bud" Zumwalt, Jr., USS Zumwalt will be the lead ship in the Navy's newest and most-advanced destroyer class and is designed for multi-mission littoral operations and land attack. For more information on the new class of ships, click here.

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