Last Saturday morning, June 24, the U.S. Navy commissioned the newest guided-missile destroyer in its fleet, the USS Carl M. Levin (DDG 120), named in memory of the Jewish senator from Michigan who died in 2021 at age 87.
The $2.1 billion warship — which was launched from Baltimore’s Locust Point shipping port — was built by General Dynamics Bath Iron Works in Maine. The ship will be based at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii.
Guest speakers at the launch and commission gathering included Adm. Michael M. Gilday, chief of Naval Operations; Justin Williams, Baltimore’s deputy mayor for community and economic development; Rear Adm. Thomas J. Anderson, program executive officer of ships for the Navy; Carlos Del Toro, secretary of the Navy; and Charles F. Krugh, president of General Dynamics Bath Iron Works.
“Senator Levin lived a life of service with integrity, and his example inspires us as we commission this ship with this crew today,” Gilday said. “The men and the women of the USS Carl Levin represent some of the best and the brightest in our Navy. They are ready! They are prepared to go into harm’s way if required and they will carry out the orders of our nation.”
Among those in attendance were a few thousand sailors, veterans and their families.
The ship is an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, equipped with guided missiles, torpedoes and two helicopters. It is more than 500 feet long and can travel about 35 miles per hour.
The ship’s sponsors were Levin’s three daughters, Kate Levin Markel, Laura Levin and Erica Levin. All three participated in the keel-laying, mast-stepping and christening ceremonies.
“To the ship’s sponsors … thank you for your family’s support to our Navy and to our sailors,” said Gilday. “It is not lost on us that the man that we call professor, assistant attorney general and senator, you call Dad. Thank you for sharing his legacy with us and we hope that you feel welcome as extended members of our big Navy family.”
Said Laura Levin: “Dad noted that for more than 50 years, Senate Armed Services Committee members had managed to work through their disagreements to pass the Defense Authorization bill with bipartisan support for a single reason. As Dad put it, those who served in the military ‘have inspired us, year after year, to come together across lines of party and ideology to support them. They not only protect us, they unite us.’ So as we gather to send off this great ship, the three of us remember our dad by thanking and congratulating the entire crew of the USS Carl M. Levin who protect us and also unite us.”
During the ceremony, Cmdr. Kelly Craft, commanding officer of the the USS Carl M. Levin, reported that the ship was ready to sail. Levin’s daughters gave the traditional order to “Man our ship and bring her to life!”
“It’s been an honor and a privilege to have served as the commanding officer of a pre-commissioning unit,” Kraft said. “It was amazing being able to sail down the Kennebec [River] and out to sea for the first time. There’s nothing like being able to bring the crew together and accomplish the mission. We’ve still got thousands of miles to travel before we make it to our home port of Hawaii, but I know this crew is the right crew for the job. They will remain tenacious in the fight, and they will lead this ‘greyhound’ to be the most feared warship in the world.”
Said Williams: “From the days of clipper ships traversing the high seas during the revolutionary war … our city’s legacy has been long intertwined with the Navy’s legacy. As we commission the USS Carl Levin, we pay homage to the generations of sailors and shipbuilders who call Baltimore home. This mighty vessel will carry the torch of Baltimore’s naval legacy.”
A Detroit native, Carl Levin began his career as an attorney, professor and assistant attorney general in Michigan and was elected to the Senate in 1979. He was Michigan’s first Jewish senator and the state’s longest-serving senator, serving for 36 years before retiring in 2015.
Levin was a consistent voice for support of American manufacturing and was one of the Senate’s strongest advocates for policies that would help American manufacturers compete globally.
As chairman of Senate Armed Services Committee, Levin focused on taking care of members of the military and their families, supporting pay raises and improvements in treatment and other policies for wounded warriors. He led oversight efforts to improve efficiency and reduce cost overruns in expensive weapons programs.
Levin also supported military action to eliminate al-Qaida in Afghanistan, investigated Pentagon spending practices and played a key role in overturning the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” rule that prohibited gay service members from openly acknowledging their sexual orientation before 2011.
For information about the ship, click here.
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