PASCAGOULA, Miss., May 08, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Flight III Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer Ted Stevens (DDG 128) departed HII’s (NYSE: HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division today enroute to its homeport in Norfolk, Virginia ahead of its future commissioning in Whittier, Alaska.
“The sail-away of Ted Stevens reflects the strong momentum of our Flight III destroyer deliveries and the team’s work to deliver the most capable and combat ready ships to the fleet,” said Chris Brown, Ingalls Shipbuilding DDG 51 program manager. “Seeing DDG 128 depart Ingalls is a proud moment for us all, and we are honored to support the Navy with a ship that will strengthen U.S. maritime security for decades to come.”
DDG 128 is the second Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyer built and delivered by Ingalls. The ship represents the next generation of surface combatants, featuring the Flight III AN/SPY-6(V)1 radar system and the Aegis Baseline 10 combat system designed to counter evolving threats well into the 21st century.
Ingalls Shipbuilding currently has five additional Flight III destroyers under construction, with seven more in early pre-planning and material procurement phases. To increase throughput and meet growing demand from the Navy, Ingalls is executing a distributed shipbuilding initiative, partnering with shipyards and fabricators beyond the company’s traditional labor market to improve schedule performance across all programs.
Photos and video accompanying this release are available at: https://www.hii.com/news/flight-iii-destroyer-ted-stevens-ddg-128-sails-aways-from-hiis-ingalls-shipbuilding.
In 2026, HII plans to outsource more than 2.5 million hours of shipbuilding work, while expanding its structural assembly network of assembly partner companies, enabling more work to be completed outside the shipyard before final assembly.
To date, Ingalls has delivered 36 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, including the first Flight III, USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125), and Ted Stevens (DDG 128). Flight III destroyers currently under construction include Jeremiah Denton (DDG 129), George M. Neal (DDG 131), Sam Nunn (DDG 133), Thad Cochran (DDG 135), and John F. Lehman (DDG 137). Ships in pre-planning include Telesforo Trinidad (DDG 139), Ernest E. Evans (DDG 141), Charles French (DDG 142), Richard J. Danzig (DDG 143), Intrepid (DDG 145), Robert Kerrey (DDG 146), and Ray Mabus (DDG 147).
About HII
HII is America’s largest shipbuilder, delivering the world’s most powerful ships and all-domain mission technologies, including unmanned systems, to U.S. and allied defense customers. HII is the largest producer of unmanned underwater vehicles for the U.S. Navy and the world.
With a more than 140-year history of advancing U.S. national security, HII builds and integrates defense capabilities extending from the core fleet to C6ISR, AI/ML, EW and synthetic training. Headquartered in Virginia, HII’s workforce is 44,000 strong. For more information, visit:
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Danny Hernandez
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A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/dc385406-e21c-4df4-93f7-555fcf5c4ebe
