Article Posted on : - Jun 03, 2011

WASHINGTON (BNS): The US Navy will commission the newest Arleigh Burke class guided-missile destroyer, William P Lawrence on Saturday.

The new destroyer is designated as DDG 110 in honour of the late Vice Adm. William P Lawrence, the US Department of Defence said in a statement.

William P Lawrence, the 60th Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, is designed to conduct a variety of operations, from peacetime presence and crisis management to sea control and power projection.

The destroyer is capable of fighting air, surface and subsurface battles simultaneously and will contain myriad offensive and defensive weapons designed to support maritime warfare.

Cmdr. Thomas R. Williams II will become the first commanding officer of the 9,200-ton ship, built by Huntington Ingalls Industries. The vessel is 509 feet in length, has a waterline beam of 59 feet, and a navigational draft of 31 feet. Four gas turbine engines will power the ship to speeds in excess of 30 knots, it said.