Rafael Peralta (DDG 115), a Navy destroyer, recently returned to the Bath Iron Works shipyard after successfully completing a week-long series of acceptance trials for the Navy’s Board of Inspections and Survey.
The board recommended DDG 115 join the U.S. Navy fleet based on the performance demonstration. It is the first Arleigh Burke-class destroyer built by Bath Iron Works after a four-year break in the DDG 51 program.
“The ship looked great and performed well. It’s a ship Bath Iron Works can be proud of,” said Dirk Lesko, president of Bath Iron Works
The ship is named for Marine Sergeant Rafael Peralta who sacrificed himself during the second battle of Fallujah by falling on an enemy grenade and shielding other members of his squadron from the blast. He was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for his heroic act.
The Navy will accept delivery in February and the ship will depart Bath later in the spring. It will join 34 other Bath-produced DDG 51’s in active service, including the USS Arleigh Burke.
Currently, three other DDG 51 destroyers are in production at Bath Iron Works including the Thomas Hudner (DDG 116), Daniel Inouye (DDG 118), and Carl M. Levin (DDG 120).