USS Ralph Johnson

Construction and career

The contract to build the destroyer was awarded on 26 September 2011 to Ingalls Shipbuilding of Pascagoula, Mississippi. On 15 February 2012, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced the ship was to be named Ralph Johnson in honor of Marine Ralph H. Johnson, who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for shielding two fellow Marines from a grenade in March 1968 during the Vietnam War. The contract was worth $697.6 million fixed price, and was also the 30th Arleigh Burke-class destroyer contract issued to Ingalls Shipbuilding.

Ralph Johnson is the 64th ship of the Arleigh Burke class of destroyers, the first of which, , was commissioned in July 1991. With 75 ships planned to be built in total, the class has the longest production run for any U.S. Navy surface combatant. As an Arleigh Burke-class ship, Ralph Johnsons roles included anti-aircraft, anti-submarine, and anti-surface warfare, as well as strike operations. During the long production run, the class was built in three flights—Flight I (DDG-51–DDG-71), Flight II (DDG-72–DDG-78), and Flight IIA (DDG-79– ). Ralph Johnson is a Flight IIA ship, and as such, features several improvements in terms of ballistic missile defence, an embarked air wing, and the inclusion of mine-detecting ability.

In 2008, the U.S. Navy decided to restart production of the Arleigh Burke class as the number of orders for the was reduced from ten to three. The first three ships (DDG-113—DDG-115) ordered following the product decision are known as the "restart" ships, while "technology insertion" ships (DDG-116—DDG-123) are expected to incorporate certain elements of Arleigh Burke class Flight III, which in turn will run from DDG-124 onwards. As a "restart" ship, Ralph Johnson primarily features upgraded electronics; she was originally scheduled to be delivered in August 2016,

The warship arrived at the Port of Charleston's Columbus Street Terminal on 19 March 2018 and was commissioned on 24 March.

In 2019, Ralph Johnsons homeport shifted to Yokosuka, Japan, replacing .

On 4 September 2023, Ralph Johnson conducted a bilateral sail with of the Philippine Navy in the South China Sea.

Awards

• Battle "E" – (2020)
• Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Ship-Helicopter Safety Award - (2020)
• Retention Excellence Award - (2020)

References

References

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2. (15 December 2015). "Ingalls Shipbuilding Launches Arleigh Burke-Class Destroyer Ralph Johnson (DDG 114)". Huntington Ingalls Industries.
3. (2 April 2016). "Ingalls Christens Destroyer Ralph Johnson (DDG 114); Aegis Ship Honors Vietnam War Medal of Honor Recipient". Huntington Ingalls Industries.
4. (15 November 2017). "Navy Accepts Delivery of Future USS Ralph Johnson". United States Navy.
5. (23 March 2018). "Navy to Commission New Guided-Missile Destroyer Ralph Johnson". United States Navy.
6. (1 November 2011). ["Ralph Johnson (DDG 114)"]({{Naval Vessel Register URL). Navy.mil.
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10. Kropf, Schuyler. (15 February 2012). "Navy attack ship to be named for Ralph Johnson". [[The Post and Courier]].
11. (27 September 2011). "U.S. Navy Awards HII USD 697.6 Million Contract for New DDG 114 Destroyer". Shipbuildingtribune.com.
12. (3 February 2011). ["USS Arleigh Burke (DDG 51)"]({{Naval Vessel Register URL). Navy.mil.
13. Sharp, David. (31 December 2009). "After 2-plus decades, Navy destroyer breaks record". [[The Guardian]].
14. "DDG-51 Arleigh Burke-class". FAS.org.
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16. Ewing, Philip. (31 July 2008). "Navy: No need to add DDG 1000s after all". [[Gannett Government Media]].
17. Drew, Christopher. (8 April 2009). "Contractors Agree on Deal to Build Stealth Destroyer". [[The New York Times]].
18. Lyle, Peter C.. (2010). "DDG 51 Arleigh Burke Burke-Class Destroyer – New Construction Program". [[Naval Sea Systems Command]].
19. (27 January 2017). "Ingalls starts fabrication of DDG 123". Marine Log.
20. (21 March 2018). "Navy Destroyer Ralph H. Johnson To Be Commissioned".
21. Wilson, Alex. (October 4, 2021). "One of the Navy's 'newest and most capable' destroyers joins 7th Fleet in Japan".
22. (4 September 2023). "U.S., Philippine Navies Conduct Bilateral Sail to Enhance Interoperability". US Pacific Fleet.
23. "USS Ralph Johnson Change of Command".