---------------------------------------------------------------- The Navy Public Affairs Library (NAVPALIB) A service of the Navy Office of Information, Washington DC Send feedback/questions to navpalib@opnav-emh.navy.mil ---------------------------------------------------------------- The following was released by the Office of the Assistant to the Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs). No. 036-94 (703) 697-5342 (Media) (703) 697-3189 (Copies) IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 27, 1994 (703) 697-5737 (Public/ Industry) NAVY TO CHRISTEN GUIDED MISSILE DESTROYER FITZGERALD (DDG 62) A christening ceremony for the U.S. Navy's newest guided missile destroyer Fitzgerald (DDG 62), will be held at Bath Iron Works Corporation, Bath, Maine on Saturday, January 29, 1994 commencing at 1:30 p.m. Mrs. Betty Ann Fitzgerald, widow of Lieutenant William C. Fitzgerald, for whom this ship is named, will break a bottle of champagne over the bow and formally name the ship. Senator George Mitchell will be the ceremony's principal speaker. This ship is named in honor of Lieutenant William Charles Fitzgerald, U.S. Navy (1938-1967), who was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for heroism while serving as a senior advisor to the Vietnamese Navy 16th Coast Group on 7 August 1967. Fitzgerald is the twelfth of 29 Arleigh Burke class ships authorized to be built. These multi-mission ships are equipped with the Navy's modern Aegis combat weapons system, which combines space-age communication, radar and weapons technologies in a single platform for unlimited flexibility. As "force multipliers," these new destroyers will replace older, less capable ships that are being taken out of service as the Navy reduces spending but maintains quality. This is part of the Navy's overall plan to recapitalize the fleet. These versatile ships are designed to operate independently or in support of aircraft carrier and amphibious operations. The ship is equipped to carry Standard surface-to-air missiles, and Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from forward and aft vertical launching systems; two fully automated, radar controlled Phalanx close-in weapons systems; Harpoon anti-ship missiles; one five-inch gun and electronic warfare systems. Fitzgerald is 505 feet in length, has a waterline beam of 66 feet and displaces approximately 8,422 tons fully loaded. The ship will have a crew of 26 officers, 24 chief petty officers, and 291 enlisted. -USN-