Ingalls celebrates christening of new USS Ted Stevens

PASCAGOULA, Miss. (WLOX) - A historic day for Mississippi and the U.S. Navy as the USS Ted Stevens destroyer was christened Saturday.

Ted Stevens was an Alaskan senator for 41 years. He helped Alaska gain its statehood. He had not only these accomplishments, but was also an Army Air Corps pilot during World War II.

The ship’s sponsors are the late Ted Stevens’ wife, Catherine Ann, and his daughters Susan Stevens-Covich and Lily Irene Becker. They christened the ship dedicated to a man they felt lucky enough to call family.

“This ship is nimble, powerful, lethal,” said Becker. “Those are all words I might be able to describe him. You know, he was so passionate. Passionate about Alaska and its people, about the country, about the military. And he was a fighter.”

The ship has been in progress for the past three years now. Ingalls Program Manager Ben Barnett said it was great to see he and his crew’s hard work pay off Saturday.

“It’s really incredible to be a part of the shipbuilding process,” Barnett said. “To see the ship come together from the time we start fabrication and it’s a plate of steel, to the great ship we see here today.”

Friends, family, military, and Ingalls employees all gathered to witness this extraordinary event.

This will be the 36th destroyer Ingalls has built for the U.S. Navy and the second ship with Flight III technology. Three additional Flight III DDGs are currently under construction at Ingalls.

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