General Dynamics Bath Iron Works has completed conducting sea trials of the future US Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS John Basilone.
The destroyer is scheduled for delivery and commissioning before the end of this year. Once delivered, it will be homeported in Mayport, Florida.
The ship's namesake, US Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant John Basilone, received the Medal of Honor for heroism displayed in the Battle of Guadalcanal during World War II, where he led his heavy machine gun sections in defence of a critical position and inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy. Tragically, Gunnery Sergeant Basilone was later killed in the Iwo Jima campaign in 1945.
The second US Navy ship to honour Gunnery Sergeant Basilone belongs to the Flight IIA variants of the Arleigh Burke-class. Each Flight IIA destroyer is equipped with improved integrated air and missile defence capabilities, increased computing power, and radar upgrades that improve detection range and reaction time against modern air warfare and ballistic missile threats.
