Dec. 25 (UPI) — The future USS Daniel Inouye completed builder’s trials after spending four days at sea off the coast of Maine last week, the Navy announced.
Builder’s trials consist of a sequence of in-port and at-sea demonstrations allowing the Navy and the ship’s builder, General Dynamics Bath Iron Works, to assess whether the ship is ready for delivery.
“The successful completion of these trials is a critical step to ensuring full combat-readiness of the ship,” Capt. Seth Miller, DDG 51 class program manager, Program Executive Office (PEO) Ships, said in a Navy
press release. “The Navy and Industry team is dedicated to adding DDG 118’s critical warfighting capabilities to the fleet and strengthening the Navy’s readiness.”
The vessel will return to sea early in 2021 to conduct acceptance trials, during which all systems will be inspected and evaluated before the Navy can accept delivery.
The Inouye is a Flight IIA destroyer equipped with the Aegis Baseline combat system, intended to deliver quick reaction time, high firepower and increased electronic countermeasures.
Named for the late Daniel Inouye, a long-time senator from Hawaii and a World War II veteran, the vessel was christened in June 2019.
