The USS Fitzgerald naval destroyer, also known as DDG 62, launched pier-side following a series of repairs and modifications at Huntington Ingalls Industries‘ Ingalls Shipbuilding shipyard facility on April 16. The company began restoration and maintenance in Jan. 2018 to reinforce the integrity of the vessel’s topside and hull structures after a collision incident in 2017, the U.S. Navy said Tuesday.Â
The service branch noted that HII updated and repaired the ship’s combat system, command, control, communications, computers and intelligence platforms as well as its hull, mechanical and electrical components to bring the vessel back to warfighting capacity.
“This undocking is a step forward and brings us that much closer to getting Fitzgerald back out to sea – where the ship belongs,” said Cmdr. Garrett Miller, commanding officer of USS Fitzgerald.