Name confirmed for US Navy’s sixth Constellation-class frigate

US Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro has confirmed that a future US Navy Constellation-class guided-missile frigate (FFG) will be named USS Galvez. The ship honours Conde Bernardo de Gálvez y Madrid, who provided supplies, intelligence, and military support to the American colonists during the American Revolutionary War.

Upon completion, the FFG will have a length of 496 feet (151 metres), a beam of 65 feet (20 metres), and a crew complement of 200. A combined diesel-electric and gas (CODLAG) propulsion arrangement consisting of a GE LM2500 gas turbine and four MTU diesel generators will deliver a maximum speed of 26 knots.

The Constellation-class frigates to be manufactured by Fincantieri Marinette Marine will be variants of the European Multi-Mission Frigates (Fregate Europeenne Multimissions; FREMM) designed and built jointly by French defence shipbuilder the Naval Group and Italy's Fincantieri for their respective countries' navies as well as export customers. The ships will be capable of anti-air warfare, anti-submarine warfare, surface warfare, electronic warfare, and information operations.