USS Ted Stevens features the AN/SPY-6(V)1 Air and Missile Defense Radar, a central element of the Flight III configuration. The ship also incorporates greater electrical power and cooling capacity to support its systems and provide enhanced warfighting capability.
“USS Ted Stevens represents the combat-ready, lethal force our Navy needs to deter aggression and defend our nation,” said Adm. Daryl Caudle, Chief of Naval Operations. “With her advanced sensors, weapons, and air and missile defense capabilities, this ship will give our Fleet greater capacity to find, track, and defeat threats across the maritime domain.”
Following its commissioning, USS Ted Stevens will be homeported in Norfolk, Virginia. Its entry into service will add another Flight III destroyer to the Navy’s surface fleet as the service strengthens integrated air and missile defense at sea.
“Equipped with cutting-edge systems and capabilities, USS Ted Stevens is ready to answer our Nation’s call to counter aggression and safeguard our interests by providing a powerful advantage at sea,” said Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao. “As we welcome another formidable Arleigh Burke-class destroyer to America’s Fleet, this warship will carry forward the ideals that its namesake spent his entire life defending from the cockpit to the Senate floor.”
The ship honors the late Senator Ted Stevens, a decorated World War II Army Air Corps pilot and a longtime advocate for Alaska and the U.S. armed forces. The selection of Whittier for the commissioning recognizes Alaska’s maritime heritage and its enduring relationship with the Navy.
“USS Ted Stevens is built for the fight, carrying the legacy of service, courage, and determination of a warrior who flew combat missions in World War II and devoted his life to serving his country,” said Vice Adm. Joe Cahill, commander, Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet. “That legacy now passes to the Sailors who will bring this ship to life, turn her advanced integrated air and missile defense into combat power, and carry Senator Stevens’ standard forward.”
The ship’s sponsors are Stevens’ wife, Catherine Ann Stevens, and his daughters, Susan Stevens Covich and Lily Stevens Becker. They will represent the vessel’s continuing connection to the Stevens family throughout its operational service.
The Navy maintains a persistent presence in Alaska through high-latitude maritime security patrols, cold-weather warfare training and joint-force exercises. Those operations are designed to secure northern sea lanes, defend the U.S. homeland and project naval power in the Arctic.
