Fabrication of the 28th and last Arleigh Burke Class
Aegis Destroyer contracted for Gulf Coast construction began on Oct. 18
at Northrop Grumman Ship Systems - Ingalls Operations shipyard,
Pascagoula, Miss.
Named for the late Vice Adm. William P. Lawrence, DDG 110 is scheduled
for delivery in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2010. Lawrence's
widow, Diane Wilcox Lawrence, is the ship's sponsor. DDG 110 will be
assigned to the Pacific Fleet.
Lawrence's distinguished career included being the first naval aviator
to fly at Mach 2 (twice the speed of sound or 1,300 mile per hour),
nearly six years as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam and three years
as Superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy. He retired in 1986 as
Chief of Naval Personnel.
"Adm. Lawrence was the Superintendent of the Naval Academy when I was a
plebe. I admired him and thought of him whenever I heard the John Paul
Jones definition of a Naval Officer. I am especially pleased that
Supervisor of Shipbuilding Gulf Coast will oversee the construction of a
DDG named in his honor," said Capt. Beth Dexter, Supervisor of
Shipbuilding Gulf Coast.
By SUPSHIP Gulf Coast Public Affairs