HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division began fabrication by cutting steel plates of the future USS John F. Lehman (DDG 137) with a robotic plasma system June 29, 2026, marking the official start of construction on the Navy’s newest Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyer. Bottom, from left: Chris Brown, Ingalls Shipbuilding DDG 51 program manager; Ben Barnett, Ingalls Shipbuilding DDG 137 ship manager; Barney Varnado, Ingalls Shipbuilding burner work leaderman. Top, from left: Cmdr. Roxane Powers, U.S. Navy DDG 51 program manager’s representative, Supervisor of Shipbuilding (SUPSHIP), Gulf Coast; Charles Bufkin, U.S. Navy deputy Aegis test officer, SUPSHIP Gulf Coast.
HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division began fabrication by cutting steel plates of the future USS John F. Lehman (DDG 137) with a robotic plasma system June 29, 2026, marking the official start of construction on the Navy’s newest Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyer. Bottom, from left: Chris Brown, Ingalls Shipbuilding DDG 51 program manager; Ben Barnett, Ingalls Shipbuilding DDG 137 ship manager; Barney Varnado, Ingalls Shipbuilding burner work leaderman. Top, from left: Cmdr. Roxane Powers, U.S. Navy DDG 51 program manager’s representative, Supervisor of Shipbuilding (SUPSHIP), Gulf Coast; Charles Bufkin, U.S. Navy deputy Aegis test officer, SUPSHIP Gulf Coast.