{"id":82206,"date":"2026-07-13T17:45:22","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T17:45:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2026\/07\/13\/navy-christens-flight-iii-arleigh-burke-class-destroyer-after-korean-war-hero\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T17:42:31","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T17:42:31","slug":"navy-christens-flight-iii-arleigh-burke-class-destroyer-after-korean-war-hero","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2026\/07\/13\/navy-christens-flight-iii-arleigh-burke-class-destroyer-after-korean-war-hero\/","title":{"rendered":"Navy christens Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyer after Korean War hero"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The U.S. Navy on Saturday christened the future USS George M. Neal (DDG 131), the fourth Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyer to be built by Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">William Toti, performing the duties of the under secretary of the Navy, presided over the ceremony in Pascagoula, Mississippi. Toti assumed the role after Hung Cao became acting Navy secretary following John Phelan\u2019s removal in late April.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe future USS George M. Neal honors a legacy of extraordinary courage and sacrifice,\u201d said Toti. \u201cAs we christen this ship, we mark another step toward building the Navy our nation needs. Flight III destroyers are critical to our nation\u2019s security, and we are proud to accept each one built by the skilled workforce at Ingalls.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1537\" height=\"2048\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HNDw7d7WsAACvI4.jpeg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-111958\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HNDw7d7WsAACvI4.jpeg.jpg 1537w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HNDw7d7WsAACvI4.jpeg.jpg?resize=225,300 225w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HNDw7d7WsAACvI4.jpeg.jpg?resize=768,1023 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HNDw7d7WsAACvI4.jpeg.jpg?resize=769,1024 769w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HNDw7d7WsAACvI4.jpeg.jpg?resize=1153,1536 1153w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1537px) 100vw, 1537px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Kelley Neal Gray, daughter of the ship&#8217;s namesake, performed the traditional bottle-breaking ceremony of the USS George M. Neal (DDG 131). (Navy)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyer is named in honor of Korean War veteran Aviation Machinist\u2019s Mate 3rd Class George M. Neal, who was awarded the second-highest military decoration, the Navy Cross, for his valor during a search-and-rescue mission over North Korea. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 1951, Neal volunteered for a helicopter mission deep in enemy territory to rescue a downed aviator, according to the Navy. Downed by enemy fire, Neal helped fellow crew members evade apprehension for nine days before they were captured. Neal remained a prisoner of war until his release in 1952. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOn behalf of my family, I express my deepest gratitude to the United States Navy, to the incredible honor, for this magnificent destroyer after my father, George Milton Neal,\u201d Kelley Neal Gray, Neal\u2019s daughter, said during the ceremony. \u201cWe are forever grateful that his life of service, sacrifice and courage will be remembered through a ship that will one day defend our nation and carry his legacy throughout the world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Remarks by HII President and CEO Chris Kastner at the ceremony, however, underscored growing tension between dockyards and the Pentagon as the Navy looks abroad to build out its backlogged fleet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAs a company, HII does a lot of amazing things, but only people \u2014 human beings \u2014 build ships,\u201d Kastner said. \u201cThey build ships with their hands, their minds and toughness. The people of Ingalls Shipbuilding are among the finest craftsmen and craftswomen on the face of the Earth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhen she is delivered, DDG 131 will be the most powerful surface combatant in the world. She will be ready. She\u2019ll be ready because the United States of America makes a conscious choice, generation after generation for now 250 years, to invest in U.S. Navy ships, built by Americans, in America.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The first Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.surfpac.navy.mil\/ddg125\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.surfpac.navy.mil\/ddg125\/\"> USS Jack H. Lucas<\/a>, named after the youngest Medal of Honor recipient during World War II, was commissioned in 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Though the Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyer resembles other destroyers, its upgraded internal capacities represent the next generation of surface combatants with its AN\/SPY-6(V)1 Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR) \u2014 the most powerful radar ever fielded on a U.S. Navy surface warship, according to the Navy. In addition, redesigned power and cooling systems help to accommodate the destroyer\u2019s increased power demands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s like going from a flip phone to an iPhone,\u201d said Chief Sonar Technician (Surface) Nicholas Cederblom in a release. \u201cIt does the calling, it does the texting, but it does so much more. And moving from that system into the advanced capabilities build, what we have right now, definitely is a lot more. No one else has done this.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The ship is named in honor of veteran Aviation Machinist\u2019s Mate 3rd Class George M. Neal, who was awarded the Navy Cross for actions during the Korean War.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":111957,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":65,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,12,26,65],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3383],"class_list":["post-82206","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-news","category-newsletters","category-your-navy"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"2B2KZEYHNBE5XBIO6LRPMQW4XI","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-military\/2026\/07\/13\/navy-christens-flight-iii-arleigh-burke-class-destroyer-after-korean-war-hero\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Navy christens Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyer after Korean War hero - Navy Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The ship is named in honor of veteran Aviation Machinist\u2019s Mate 3rd Class George M. 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Neal, who was awarded the Navy Cross for actions during the Korean War.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2026\/07\/13\/navy-christens-flight-iii-arleigh-burke-class-destroyer-after-korean-war-hero\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Navy Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-13T17:45:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T17:42:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Claire Barrett\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Claire Barrett\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/13\\\/navy-christens-flight-iii-arleigh-burke-class-destroyer-after-korean-war-hero\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/13\\\/navy-christens-flight-iii-arleigh-burke-class-destroyer-after-korean-war-hero\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"Navy christens Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyer after Korean War hero\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2026-07-13T17:45:22+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T17:42:31+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/13\\\/navy-christens-flight-iii-arleigh-burke-class-destroyer-after-korean-war-hero\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 601,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/13\\\/navy-christens-flight-iii-arleigh-burke-class-destroyer-after-korean-war-hero\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/HNDw7d4WoAAUnzD.jpeg.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t                \"News\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\",\n\t                \"Your Navy\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/13\\\/navy-christens-flight-iii-arleigh-burke-class-destroyer-after-korean-war-hero\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/13\\\/navy-christens-flight-iii-arleigh-burke-class-destroyer-after-korean-war-hero\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/13\\\/navy-christens-flight-iii-arleigh-burke-class-destroyer-after-korean-war-hero\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Navy christens Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyer after Korean War hero - 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