Military

           The newest Arleigh Burke class guided-missile destroyer, Bainbridge (DDG 96), will be commissioned Saturday, Nov. 12, 2005, in an 11 a.m. EST ceremony at Port Everglades, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

            Rep. E. Clay Shaw, 22^nd District, State of Florida, will deliver the ceremony's principal address.  Susan Bainbridge Hay will serve as sponsor of the ship named for her great-great-great-grandfather.  In a time-honored Navy tradition, she will give the first order to "man our ship and bring her to life!"

            The new guided missile destroyer honors the outstanding and heroic service of Commodore William Bainbridge who served in the Navy from 1789-1833.  Four previous ships have been named in honor of Bainbridge, including a 259-ton brig (1842-1863), two destroyers (1902-1920 and 1921-1945), and a nuclear-powered cruiser (1962-1997).

            Cmdr. John M. Dorey of Auburn, Mass., a 1986 Naval Academy graduate, is the ship’s first commanding officer and will lead a crew of 292 officers and enlisted personnel.  The 9,200-ton Bainbridge was built by Bath Iron Works, a General Dynamics company in Maine, and has an overall length of 509.5 feet, a waterline beam of 59 feet, and a navigational draft of 33 feet.  Four gas turbine engines will power the ship to speeds in excess of 30 knots.

            Bainbridge is the 46th of 62 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers currently authorized by Congress.  This highly capable multi-mission ship can conduct a variety of operations, from peacetime presence and crisis management to sea control and power projection, in support of the National Military Strategy.  Bainbridge will be capable of fighting air, surface, and subsurface battles simultaneously.  The ship contains a myriad of offensive and defensive weapons designed to support maritime defense needs well into the 21st century.