USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. explained

USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG-121) is an Flight IIA guided missile destroyer in the United States Navy, the 71st overall for the class. The ship was named for United States Marine Corps Lieutenant General Frank E. Petersen Jr.^[1] the first African-American Marine Corps aviator^[2] and the first African-American Marine Corps general.^[3] The contract for the ship, along with the name, was first announced in a press release from Huntington Ingalls Industries on 30 March 2016.^[4]

Construction and career

The first "cutting of steel" took place in April 2016^[5] and her keel was laid on 21 February 2017.^[6] She was launched on 13 July 2018.^[7] and christened on 6 October 2018. The ship was commissioned on 14 May 2022 at Charleston, South Carolina.^[8]

News: Bernstein. Adam. Frank Petersen Jr., first black Marine Corps pilot and general, dies at 83. 5 April 2016. Washington Post. 26 August 2015.
Web site: MSNBC, LtGen Frank E. Petersen, First Black Aviator. . 28 August 2015 . 5 April 2016.
Web site: Encyclopedia.com, Frank E. Petersen 1932– bio. 5 April 2016.
Web site: HII.com, DDG-121 Contract Awarded To Ingalls Shipbuilding. 31 March 2016.
Web site: USS Frank E Petersen Jr Begins Fabrication. US Navy. 10 December 2016 . The milestone, which signifies the first 100 tons of steel being cut, was marked with a ceremony held in the shipyard's fabrication shop, April 27. .
Keel Laid for Future USS Frank E. Petersen Jr.. United States Navy. 21 February 2017. 5 October 2017. 23 December 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171223145817/http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=98983. dead.
US Navy Launches Future USS Frank E. Petersen Jr.. NNS180716-21. United States Navy. 16 July 2018. 17 July 2018.
Web site: 2022-05-14 . U.S. Navy Commissions Arleigh Burke-Class Destroyer Frank E. Petersen, Jr. (DDG 121) . 2022-05-16 . Naval News . en-US.