Here is a look at the Navy’s new Flight IIA destroyer the Jason Dunham, a product of Bath Iron Works, Maine. The service is set to commission the Dunham on Saturday. The ship is named after Marine Cpl. Jason Dunham, who was killed by insurgents in Iraq in April 2004. He posthumously received the Medal of Honor on Jan. 11, 2007. Read his citation here.
The destroyer Jason Dunham Pre-Commissioning Unit (DDG 109) enters Port Everglades Harbor to prepare for the ship's Nov. 13 commissioning.
Sailors aboard the destroyer Jason Dunham Pre-Commissioning Unit man the rails as the ship pulls pier side to to prepare for the ship's Nov. 13 commissioning.
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Hull number 109 ! That leaves only 2 destroyers remaining under construction at BIW: DDG-111 and 112.
Oh, and one DDG-110 left in NG Pascagoula. So, hopefully the actual craftsmen will not be laid off, even temporarily. Of course the upper mgmt and desk sitters like engineers can already by charging their salary to DDG-113 etc. restart money. But not the actual shipyard craftsmen. They are un-funded during early phases of each new ship. Will they read the handwriting on the wall and go find work with off shore oil drilling companies ? Or will they take their 9 month ? long layoff and wait hopefully for DDG-113 restart money to eventually trickle down to the many SHOPS that really build destroyers ?
Were I in Shop 68, 28, 75, 35, etc. I would be wary of the gap in funding between DDG112 and the new restart program. Almost 5 year gap in funding DDG’s from congress. Who can trust the Navy leadership or those people in congress. Time to bail out of shipbuilding altogether.