Navy to Commission USS Carl M. Levin, Named for Late Michigan Senator

The United States Navy will commission an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer on Saturday, June 24th at 10:00 am EST at the Port of Baltimore, Maryland, according to a press release from the Commander of Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet Affairs.

The ship is named after the late United States Senator Carl Levin, who was Michigan's longest-standing Senator. Levin passed away on July 29, 2021. IT will be named the USS Carl M. Levin.

Related: Michigan's Longest Serving Senator, Carl Levine, Dies at 87

The USS Carl M. Levin, Arleigh Burke-Class Guided Missile Destroyer

Though the USS Carl M. Levin was launched on May 16, 2021, and delivered to the U.S. Navy in late January of 2023, the ship still needs to be commissioned and sent to her homeport in Hawaii. There she will be docked at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.

According to the press release, destroyers like the USS Carl M. Levin are vital to the fleet:

These highly capable, multi-mission ships conduct a variety of operations, from peacetime presence to national security providing a wide range of warfighting capabilities in multi-threat air, surface and subsurface.

It could be argued that Carl Levin, the Senator, was the backbone of the Armed Services Committee, serving as the chair in 2001, 2001-2003, and 2007-2015. After his retirement in 2015, the Department of Defense awarded Levin the Department of Defence Medal for Distinguished Public Service, which is the highest honor given by the DOD.

Watch the Commissioning of the USS Carl M. Levin Live via Stream

The commissioning of the Naval fleet's newest destroyer will be live-streamed on Saturday, June 24th, at 10 am EST. Click here for more information.