Keel Laid for Future Naval Powerhouse USS William Charette

Bath, Maine – The keel for the future USS William Charette (DDG 130), an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, was laid during a ceremony on August 29 at General Dynamic Bath Iron Works (BIW).

This ship is named in honor of Master Chief Hospital Corpsman William R. Charette. Charette was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions during the Korean War while serving in Company F, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division in Panmunjom Corridor (DMZ), Korea.

Rear Adm. Darin K. Via, Surgeon General of the Navy and Chief, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (BUMED), presided over the ceremony on behalf of the Secretary of the Navy, Carlos Del Toro.

“All of us in Navy Medicine are immensely proud to have a warship named after one of our own,” said Rear Adm. Via. “The future USS William Charette will not only be a symbol of American strength but also a testament to the courage and dedication of Navy corpsmen.”

A keel laying ceremony marks the joining together of the ship’s modular components at the land level. During the ceremony, the keel is authenticated when a welder etches the initials of the keel honorees into the keel plate. Rear Adm. Via performed the authentication on behalf of the namesake’s children, Margaret Ann Charette Henderson, Kati Charette Donovan, Laura Charette Bennett, Michael R. Charette, and the late William A. Charette. The namesake’s daughters are the ship’s co-sponsors.

“The future USS William Charette will be a welcomed addition to the fleet,” said Capt. Seth Miller, DDG 51 Class program manager, Program Executive Office (PEO) Ships. “This ship honors the legacy of the late William Charette and his heroism during the Korean War. We are honored to have his daughters as sponsors and for the entire family to celebrate this significant milestone.”

A DDG 51 Flight III destroyer features the AN/SPY-6(V)1 Air and Missile Defense Radar and incorporates upgrades to the electrical power and cooling capacity, providing greatly enhanced warfighting capability. Other future destroyers, including the Harvey C. Barnum Jr. (DDG 124), Louis H. Wilson Jr. (DDG 126), Patrick Gallagher (DDG 127), Quentin Walsh (DDG 132), John E. Kilmer (DDG 134), and Richard G. Lugar (DDG 136), are also under construction at BIW.

PEO Ships, one of the Department of Defense’s largest acquisition organizations, is responsible for the development and procurement of all destroyers, amphibious ships, auxiliary ships, special mission ships, sealift ships, and support ships.