Ceremony held for Navy’s future USS Daniel Inouye

The widow of U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye attended the keel-laying ceremony Monday for the future USS Daniel Inouye in Bath, Maine.

Irene Hirano Inouye, the ship’s sponsor, authenticated the keel at the Bath Iron Works shipyard.

Authenticators etched their initials into the keel plate, symbolizing the joining of the ship’s components and the commencement of the ship, the Navy said in a news release.

“We are honored to have Mrs. Hirano Inouye authenticate the keel of the future USS Daniel Inouye,” said Capt. Casey Moton, DDG 51 class program manager, Program Executive Office Ships. “We wish the men and women who sail this exceptionally capable ship the same courageous spirit the late Sen. Inouye embodied.”

Dan Inouye, who served Hawaii as U.S. senator from 1963 until his death in 2012, was a World War II 442nd Regimental Combat Team Medal of Honor recipient.

The ship will be equipped with the Aegis Baseline 9 Combat System, which includes integrated air and missile defense capability. The system can deliver quick reaction time, high firepower and increased electronic countermeasures for anti-air warfare, the Navy said.

The USS Daniel Inouye will be an asset in global maritime security, air, undersea, surface, strike and ballistic missile defense. It will also have increased anti-submarine warfare, command and control and anti-surface warfare capabilities.