USS ''Ralph Johnson'' (DDG-114) is an of the United States Navy. ''Ralph Johnson'' is the 64th ship of the class and was commissioned on 24 March 2018.

Construction and career

The contract to build the destroyer was awarded on 26 September 2011 to Ingalls Shipbuilding of Pascagoula, Mississippi. On 15 February 2012, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced the ship was to be named ''Ralph Johnson'' in honor of Marine

Ralph H. Johnson Ralph Henry Johnson (January 11, 1949 – March 5, 1968) was a United States Marine who posthumously received the Medal of Honor for heroism in March 1968 during the Vietnam War. When a hand grenade was thrown into his fighting hole, he immediatel ...

, who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for shielding two fellow Marines from a grenade in March 1968 during the Vietnam War. The contract was worth $697.6 million fixed price, and was also the 30th ''Arleigh Burke''-class destroyer contract issued to Ingalls Shipbuilding. ''Ralph Johnson'' is the 64th ship of the ''Arleigh Burke'' class of destroyers, the first of which, , was commissioned in July 1991. With 75 ships planned to be built in total, the class has the longest production run for any U.S. Navy surface combatant. As an ''Arleigh Burke''-class ship, ''Ralph Johnson''s roles included

anti-aircraft Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...

anti-submarine An anti-submarine weapon (ASW) is any one of a number of devices that are intended to act against a submarine and its crew, to destroy (sink) the vessel or reduce its capability as a weapon of war. In its simplest sense, an anti-submarine weapo ...

, and anti-surface warfare, as well as strike operations. During the long production run, the class was built in three flights—Flight I (DDG-51–DDG-71), Flight II (DDG-72–DDG-78), and Flight IIA (DDG-79– ). ''Ralph Johnson'' is a Flight IIA ship, and as such, features several improvements in terms of ballistic missile defence, an embarked

air wing In military aviation, a wing is a unit of command. In most military aviation services, a wing is a relatively large formation of planes. In Commonwealth countries a wing usually comprises three squadrons, with several wings forming a group ( ...

, and the inclusion of mine-detecting ability. In 2008, the U.S. Navy decided to restart production of the ''Arleigh Burke'' class as orders for the was reduced from ten to three. The first three ships (DDG-113—DDG-115) ordered following the product decision are known as the "restart" ships, while "technology insertion" ships (DDG-116—DDG-123) are expected to incorporate certain elements of ''Arleigh Burke'' class Flight III, which in turn will run from DDG-124 onwards. As a "restart" ship, ''Ralph Johnson'' primarily features upgraded electronics; she was originally scheduled to be delivered in August 2016, but construction was delayed and delivery was rescheduled for late 2017 after sea trials were completed in the middle of the year. The warship arrived at the

Port of Charleston The Port of Charleston is a seaport located in South Carolina in the Southeastern United States. The port's facilities span three municipalities — Charleston, North Charleston, and Mount Pleasant — with six public terminals owned and operate ...

's Columbus Street Terminal on 19 March 2018 and was commissioned on 24 March.

Gallery

File:Launching of the future USS Ralph Johnson (DDG-114) US Navy 151212-N-EW716-001.jpg, USS ''Ralph Johnson'' being launched 12 December 2015 File:The future USS Ralph Johnson (DDG 114) is christened. (25628605164).jpg, Christening of USS ''Ralph Johnson'' on 2 April 2016 File:USS Ralph Johnson (DDG-114) during builder's sea trials in the Gulf of Mexico US Navy 170727-N-N0101-001.jpg, USS ''Ralph Johnson'''s sea trial on 18 July 2017 File:USS Ralph Johnson (DDG-114) pulls into Naval Station Everett US Navy 180427-N-DA737-0046.jpg, USS ''Ralph Johnson'' on 27 April 2018 File:200424-N-FP334-1042 (49837225533).jpg, USS ''Ralph Johnson'' on 24 April 2020

References

External links

Navy to name destroyer after local native

Five New U.S. Navy Ship Names Announced

Navy: 3 new ships to be named after war heroes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ralph Johnson (DDG-114) Arleigh Burke-class destroyers 2015 ships Naval ships involved in the COVID-19 pandemic