USS ''Jack H. Lucas'' (DDG-125) is an '' Arleigh Burke-class'' ( Flight III)

Aegis The aegis ( ; ''aigís''), as stated in the ''Iliad'', is a device carried by Athena and Zeus, variously interpreted as an animal skin or a shield and sometimes featuring the head of a Gorgon. There may be a connection with a deity named Aex, a ...

guided missile destroyer A guided-missile destroyer (DDG) is a destroyer whose primary armament is guided missiles so they can provide anti-aircraft warfare screening for the fleet. The NATO standard designation for these vessels is DDG, while destroyers which have a pr ...

, the first of the Flight III variants. She is named after then-

Marine Corps Marines (or naval infantry) are military personnel generally trained to operate on both land and sea, with a particular focus on amphibious warfare. Historically, the main tasks undertaken by marines have included raiding ashore (often in supp ...

Private First Class, later

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

captain Jacklyn H. Lucas, recipient of the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

. On 17 September 2016, she was named by

Secretary of the Navy The Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department within the United States Department of Defense. On March 25, 2025, John Phelan was confirm ...

Ray Mabus Raymond Edwin Mabus Jr. (; born October 11, 1948) is an American politician and lawyer. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 75th United States Secretary of the Navy from 2009 to 2017. Mabus previo ...

Construction

''Jack H. Lucas'' was launched on 4 June 2021, and christened 26 March 2022. The ship was commissioned on 7 October 2023 with the ceremony taking place in

Tampa, Florida Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...

Operational history

''Jack H. Lucas'' left Ingalls on 12 December 2022 for three days of sea trials before returning to port on 15 December 2022. On 27 June 2023, the US Navy formally took delivery of ''Jack H. Lucas'' from Ingalls. She remained in

Pascagoula The Pascagoula (also Pascoboula, Pacha-Ogoula, Pascagola, Pascaboula, Paskaguna) were an indigenous group living in coastal Mississippi on the Pascagoula River. The name ''Pascagoula'' is a Choctaw term meaning "bread eater". Choctaw native Am ...

for another 120 days after delivery to allow the crew to move onto the ship. On 26 September 2023, ''Jack H. Lucas'' left Ingalls for her home port in San Diego, California, with a stopover in Florida. She was commissioned in Tampa Bay on 7 October 2023.

Namesake

Jacklyn Harold "Jack" Lucas (1928–2008) was a

U.S. Marine The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

, and later

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

airborne officer, who received the

for his actions at the

Battle of Iwo Jima The was a major battle in which the United States Marine Corps (USMC) and United States Navy (USN) landed on and eventually captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) during World War II. The American invasion, desi ...

, at the age of 17. He is the youngest Marine and youngest serviceman in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

to be awarded the United States' highest military decoration for valor. When the keel of was laid in 1997, Lucas placed his Medal of Honor citation in the ship's hull, where it remains sealed.

Gallery

File:DDG-125 in Huntington Ingalls Industries drydock.jpg, ''Jack H. Lucas'' sits in drydock at Huntington-Ingalls Shipbuilding prior to launch File:Jack H. Lucas Commissioning.jpg, A bottle is smashed against the hull of ''Jack H. Lucas'' at the ship's christening ceremony File:DDG-125 After Launch.jpg, ''Jack H. Lucas'' just after being launched

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jack H. Lucas Arleigh Burke-class destroyers 2021 ships Ships built in Pascagoula, Mississippi