Jack H. Lucas was launched on 4 June 2021,[1] and christened 26 March 2022.[7] The ship was commissioned on 7 October 2023 with the ceremony taking place in Tampa, Florida.[3]
Operational history
Jack H. Lucas left Ingalls on 12 December 2022 for three days of sea trials before returning to port on 15 December 2022.[14]
On 27 June 2023, the US Navy formally took delivery of Jack H. Lucas from Ingalls. She remained in Pascagoula for another 120 days after delivery to allow the crew to move onto the ship.[2][15]
On 26 September 2023, Jack H. Lucas left Ingalls for her home port in San Diego, California, with a stopover in Florida. She was commissioned in Tampa Bay on 7 October 2023.[3]
Namesake
Jacklyn H. Lucas
Jacklyn Harold "Jack" Lucas (1928–2008) was a U.S. Marine, and later U.S. Army airborne officer, who received the Medal of Honor for his actions at the Battle of Iwo Jima, at the age of 17. He is the youngest Marine and youngest serviceman in World War II to be awarded the United States' highest military decoration for valor. When the keel of USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7) was laid in 1997, Lucas placed his Medal of Honor citation in the ship's hull, where it remains sealed.[16]
Gallery
Jack H. Lucas sits in drydock at Huntington-Ingalls Shipbuilding prior to launch
A bottle is smashed against the hull of Jack H. Lucas at the ship's christening ceremony
^ abcdPike, John (2 November 2016). "DDG-51 Arleigh Burke-class". Federation of American Scientists. Archived from the original on 27 September 2023. Retrieved 9 June 2021.