Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) announced a contract awarded to Bath Iron Works on Thursday for the construction of a new DDG-51 Arleigh Burke-class destroyer.
“This award is a testament to the highly skilled and hard-working men and women of BIW and once again shows that ‘Bath Built is Best Built,'” said Collins.
“This destroyer will enhance our national security, protect good-paying Maine jobs, and provide long-term stability for the highly skilled men and women at BIW. As global threats continue to grow, investing in a strong and capable Navy is more important than ever,” she added.
Secretary of the Navy John Phelan called Sen. Collins to inform her of the award. Collins, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, took credit for securing funding for the new ship in the Fiscal Year 2024-2025 appropriations package. After the funding was secured, Bath Iron Works submitted a bid for the contract and was selected.
The new destroyer will be named after the youngest living Medal of Honor recipient, Kyle Carpenter. He received his medal in 2014 after he was severely injured in Afghanistan in 2010 when he jumped in front of a grenade to shield a fellow Marine from the blast.
The ship is set for construction in fiscal year 2027, and will reportedly cost $1.3 billion.
She issued a slew of statements on Thursday discussing her ongoing efforts to secure funding for Maine in appropriations bills advanced through the Senate Appropriation’s Committee on Thursday.
The Fiscal Year 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act advanced through committee with a 26-3 vote. The bill will now move on for a full vote in the Senate.
At Collins’ request, the version of the bill advanced out of committee included $112.4 million in funding for Maine-based projects, including funding for a variety of small-scale local projects such as new ambulances for municipalities.
She also touted her success securing Maine investments in the version of the Fiscal Year 2026 Defense Appropriations Act passed through committee, including funding for Bath Iron Works, the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, and $27.5 million for University of Maine defense research.
