The mast is now in place for Jeremiah Denton (DDG 129).
The mast for DDG 129 stands at 155-feet above the keel of the ship and is the last highest piece to be installed on the ship.
While the Rigging and Shipfitting departments performed the actual erection of the mast, it took shipbuilders from multiple crafts to achieve this milestone, including teams from Hull, Electrical, Pipe, Machinery, Joiner and Paint.
“Our team has put in a tremendous effort to make sure this mast was as complete as possible.” said Chris Brown, pre-launch ship program manager, DDG program. “This is one of many steps on the path to achieving the start of combat systems testing, the AEGIS light-off milestone.”
The next major milestone for DDG 129 will be when the ship is launched.
The future USS Jeremiah Denton is the third Flight III destroyer to be constructed at Ingalls. The Flight III upgrade incorporates a number of design modifications that collectively provide significantly enhanced capability.
The destroyer’s name honors former U.S. Sen. Jeremiah Denton, a Vietnam War veteran who was awarded the Navy Cross for his heroism while a prisoner of war. Denton went on to serve in the Navy for 34 years as a test pilot, flight instructor and squadron leader. Following his decades of military service, Denton was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1980 where he represented Alabama for six years.
