BATH, Maine — Editor's note: The video above aired on May 5, 2022.
The future USS John Basilone, the 39th guided-missile destroyer built at Bath Iron Works, will be christened Saturday morning at a ceremony in the shipyard.
The DDG-122 is named for U.S. Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. John Basilone, who was awarded the Medal of Honor and the Navy Cross during World War II.
BIW President Charles Krugh, U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Troy E. Black, U.S. Navy Vice Admiral Scott Conn and U.S. Navy Vice Admiral Francis Morley, and Basilone's brother, Donald Basilone, are expected to speak.
Also under construction at BIW are DDG 120, the future Carl M. Levin; DDG 124, the future USS Harvey C. Barnum Jr.; DDG 127, the future USS Patrick Gallagher; DDG 126, the future USS Louis H. Wilson Jr.; DDG 130, the future USS William Charette, and DDG 132, the future USS Quentin Walsh.
DDG 51s are built by Bath Iron Works and Ingalls Shipbuilding of Pascagoula, Mississippi.
Earlier this month, the Navy awarded BIW a $54 million contract extension to continue lead yard services for DDG 51 destroyers for another year.
Lead yard services include configuration management, logistics, supply chain, engineering, and design services.
The Navy has proposed a new multi-year procurement for 2023-2027 of nine, and possibly 10, DDG 51s. Previous multi-year contracts have divided the ships between BIW and Ingalls.