The future USS Patrick Gallagher has started her sea trials ahead of her scheduled delivery to and commissioning into the U.S. Navy.
The warship is the last of the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers to be supplied in Flight IIA configuration; all future ships in the class will be Flight III vessels featuring enhanced radar, power generation, and cooling systems designed for integrated air and missile defence.
The 155m-long destroyer is nevertheless fitted out with the Aegis Baseline 9 Combat System, which includes integrated air and missile defence functionality.
As per social media posts, the warship sailed from the General Dynamics Bath Iron Works (GDBIW) shipyard in Maine where she was constructed last week down the Kennebec River to commence her sea evaluation.
As part of her updated sea-trials programme, the warship made a scheduled visit to Portland to rotate personnel. Crew members who had completed assignments disembarked and their replacements came aboard for the remaining tests.
The warship’s commencement of sea trials marks the end of an eight-year construction programme, with work starting in 2018 and her her keel laid at the end of March 2022. She was launched into the water for the first time in October 2024 before her final fitting out.
- You can read more details on GDBIW’s X social media feedÂ