I experienced another amazing first yesterday morning: watching DDG 120 move away from the pier into the Kennebec River with the help of two tug boats. It was Sea Trials day! This is the culmination of years of hard work and many, many hours of blood, sweat and tears by our Bath Iron Works TEAM.
While I don’t have the history that some of you do here at BIW, watching that ship pull away from the pier was even more exciting and pride provoking than I had expected. When I think about the process we use to build a ship, the materials that we consume, the ship’s complexity, the volume of hours it takes to build, all the trades involved and what it stands for – it’s truly amazing!
I’ve been looking at the ship for months now as it was tied to the pier, but you don’t clearly see the ship in its full context until it moves away from the pier and travels under its own power. The ship seemed to change in my mind as it moved off under its own power, becoming a mighty guardian of our country rather than a hull that we’ve been building. In front of my eyes, the ship transformed into a destroyer, and now we must get it on patrol with our Navy as soon as possible.
I am exceptionally proud of our team’s accomplishment in getting this ship off to sea. It’s no small feat! Thank you to each and every one of you. Your hard work and dedication makes it possible to turn flat steel into a destroyer.
Safely Execute High-Quality Work
Chuck
President, General Dynamics Bath Iron Works