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DDG 133 Sam Nunn

The Secretary of the Navy has sole authority to name Navy vessels. Guided-missile destroyers are currently named to honor members of the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard; former secretaries and assistant secretaries of the Navy; and members of Congress closely identified with naval affairs.

On 06 May 2019 Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer named a future Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, DDG 133, in honor of U.S. Senator Sam Nunn, who represented Georgia from 1972 to 1997.

“Senator Nunn’s impact on the Navy and Marine Corps team cannot be overstated,” Spencer said. “His leadership in the Senate, specifically as the long-serving chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, helped streamline the military chain of command and strengthen our Navy and Marine Corps team. I am pleased that Senator Nunn’s legacy of service to our nation will continue in the future USS Sam Nunn.”

A native of Georgia, Nunn served in the U.S. Coast Guard 1959 to 1960 and remained in the Coast Guard Reserve until 1968. He was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in 1968 and in 1972 was first elected to the U.S. Senate. During his tenure as a U.S. senator, Nunn served as chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services and the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. He helped draft the Department of Defense Reorganization Act and the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Program, which provided assistance to Russia and the former Soviet republics for securing and destroying their excess nuclear, biological and chemical weapons. The Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Program which deactivated more than 7,600 nuclear warheads.

On 22 November 2024 HII Ingalls Shipbuilding authenticated the keel today of Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer Sam Nunn (DDG 133). The ship’s name honors Samuel Augustus Nunn Jr., a former U.S. senator from Georgia and co-founder of the Nuclear Threat Initiative. Nunn was in attendance for the ceremony and was joined by his daughter and ship sponsor, Michelle Nunn.

“It is truly an honor to commemorate this moment in the life of the future USS Sam Nunn,” Ingalls Shipbuilding President Kari Wilkinson said. “It continues an important journey for Ingalls shipbuilders in delivering what they do best: hard work, craftsmanship, and quality in support of the Navy and the nation. It is a fitting tribute to the public service of Senator Nunn and his commitment to making a difference in the world.”

The ship’s sponsor and daughter of the namesake, Michelle Nunn, joined her farther and Ingalls Structural Welder Adam Lee in welding their initials onto a steel plate, signifying the keel of DDG 133 as being “truly and fairly laid.” The plate will remain affixed to the ship throughout its lifetime. “What a joy for our extended Nunn family and community to celebrate the laying of the keel of USS Sam Nunn,” Michelle Nunn said. “I am so honored to assume the role as this ship’s sponsor and I hope that my father’s values of determination, integrity, and service will inspire the sailors of DDG 133.”

Arleigh Burke-class destroyers conduct a variety of operations, from peacetime presence and crisis response to sea control and power projection. USS Sam Nunn (DDG 133) will be capable of fighting air, surface and subsurface battles simultaneously, with offensive and defensive weapons systems designed to support maritime warfare, including integrated air and missile defense and vertical launch capabilities.

USS Sam Nunn (DDG 133) will be constructed by Huntington Ingalls Industries in Pascagoula, Mississippi. The ship will be 509 feet long, have a beam of 59 feet and be capable of traveling in excess of 30 knots.

Sam Nunn (DDG 133) is the fifth Flight III destroyer to be constructed at Ingalls. Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyers incorporate a number of design modifications that collectively provide significantly enhanced capability including the AN/SPY-6(V)1 Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR) and the Aegis Baseline 10 Combat System that are designed to keep pace with the threats well into the 21st century.

Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are highly capable, multi-mission ships and can conduct a variety of operations, from peacetime presence and crisis management to sea control and power projection. Guided missile destroyers are the backbone of the U.S. surface fleet and are capable of fighting multiple air, surface and subsurface threats simultaneously.