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| Press Release April 17, 1999 |
Bath, Maine – 
On Saturday, April 17, 1999, at slack high
tide, 2:50 p.m., Bath Iron Works (BIW) launched its 18th ARLEIGH BURKE Class
AEGIS guided missile destroyer WINSTON S. CHURCHILL (DDG 81).
DDG 81 is named for Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965), best known for his courageous leadership as British Prime Minister during World War II. Born to Lord Randolph Churchill and an American mother, the former Jennie Jerome, he was a talented amateur painter, pilot, soldier, farmer, bricklayer, and orator. In 1953, he won the Nobel Prize for Literature, bestowed for his numerous books on history, biography and politics.
When he retired from the House of Commons in 1964, he had spent over six decades in public life, a period that spanned from the last great British cavalry charge to the nuclear age. In 1963, he was declared an Honorary Citizen of the United States by President John F. Kennedy.
President Clinton announced on November 29, 1995 during an appearance before the British Parliament that the U.S. Navy would name one of its newest guided missile destroyers in honor of Sir Winston Churchill.
Mrs. Janet Langhart Cohen is ship’s Sponsor. As
the wife of Defense Secretary William S. Cohen, she has served as the military’s
"first lady." She is an award winning journalist who began her 25-year career at
CBS in Chicago.
The Lady Soames, DBE, youngest child of the ship’s namesake serves as Honorary Sponsor for the United Kingdom. During World War II she served with the Auxiliary Territorial Service in Mixed Anti-Aircraft Batteries in Britain and northwest Europe, and also accompanied her father as ADC on several of his journeys overseas.
Those attending the launch included: Defense Secretary William S. Cohen and his British counterpart, The Right Honorable George Robertson MP, Secretary of State for Defence; Admiral Jay L. Johnson, Chief of Naval Operations for the U.S. Navy, and his British counterpart, Admiral Sir Michael Boyce, First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff; Maine Gov. Angus King; and members of Maine’s Congressional Delegation -- U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe, U.S. Rep. Tom Allen, and U.S. Rep. John Baldacci. The Band of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines, Plymouth were featured in the launch ceremony.
Bath Iron Works of Bath, Maine, a leader in surface combatant design and construction, employs 7,700 people. It is a subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE:GD), headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia. General Dynamics has leading market positions in shipbuilding and marine systems, land and amphibious combat systems, information systems, and business aviation. The company employs 43,000 people worldwide and has annualized sales of approximately $10 billion. More information about General Dynamics can be found on the worldwide web at www.generaldynamics.com.
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