The USS Jeremiah Denton, DDG-129, shown sitting dockside during her final construction phase and wrapped in ribbons for her christening ceremony June 28, 2025. Photo by Troy Turner
By Troy Turner
PASCAGOULA, Mississippi – The U.S. Navy and Ingalls Shipbuilding on June 28 christened one of their newest Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers, and if the ship’s new array of weaponry, sensors and technology don’t command enough respect, its name certainly should.
The USS Jeremiah Denton honors a Vietnam hero who was shot down from the skies, captured and beaten for almost eight years as a prisoner of war, during which he risked his life in a North Vietnamese televised propaganda interview to famously blink with his eyelids a message in Morse Code: “T-O-R-T-U-R-E.”
It was the first confirmation that American POWs were being tortured and led to an uproar back in the States that would last for years after the war regarding the fate of Americans listed as missing or captured.
Denton was shot down July 18, 1965, while leading a bombing mission in his Navy A6-A Intruder jet.
Despite being captive for seven years and seven months and spending much of that time crammed into solitary confinement in a small box-like cell, Denton relied on his faith, moral convictions and dogged determination to not only survive, but to continue resisting enemy efforts to break him, family and Navy officials said.
Denton later received the Navy Cross for his courage, leadership and inspiration to other POWs incarcerated with him, and in 1980 he was elected to the United States Senate, representing his home state of Alabama.
A new generation of ships
The Arleigh Burke Flight III class of guided missile destroyers are a significant upgrade to earlier versions of the ship, as the future variants such as the USS Jeremiah Denson, designated as DDG-129, will carry much-advanced radar, sensors and firing capabilities.
The ships also are being designed with an eye on future weaponry, a Navy official told AlaDefense.com, as they will host an electrical power production capability suitable for directed-energy weapons being developed, such as lasers and/or microwave technology.
HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division constructed the Denton, which is expected to be turned over to the Navy after sea trials, sometime in 2026.
She will feature the AN/SPY-6(V)1 Air and Missile Defense Radar and the Aegis Baseline 10 Combat System, all designed to work far into the 21st century.
Ingalls Shipbuilding has five Flight IIIs under construction including Ted Stevens (DDG 128),Jeremiah Denton (DDG 129), George M. Neal (DDG 131), Sam Nunn (DDG 133) and Thad Cochran (DDG 135).
The company employs almost 11,500 at its Gulf facilities, including several thousand who commute daily from the Mobile region in Alabama.
Editor’s note: This story will be updated after the christening ceremony set for Saturday, June 28, 2025. AlaDefense.com was invited to attend pre-event activities on Friday and meet with Denton family members, who are serving as ceremonial ship sponsors.
Troy Turner is the editor and senior consultant for AlaDefense.com. He can be reached at [email protected]. His bio can be found here.
Photo courtesy of AII – Ingalls Shipbuilding.
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