The USS Carl M. Levin wzs commissioned during a June 24 ceremony in Baltimore, Maryland.
(Photo courtesy of Navy Office of Community Outreach)
The U.S. Navy commissioned its newest Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, USS Carl M. Levin (DDG 120), during a June 24 ceremony in Baltimore, Maryland. Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro delivered the commissioning ceremony's principal address. The ship's sponsors are Senator Levin's daughters, Kate Levin Markel, Erica Levin, and Laura Levin.
"The USS Carl M. Levin's motto is, 'Tenacious in the Fight,' which is also an apt description of Sen. Levin's passion for public service," said Jim Townsend, director of the Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy at Wayne State University Law School. "As a member, including Chair and Ranking Member, of the Senate Armed Services Committee for his 36 years in the Senate, Senator Levin was tenacious in advocating for an effective military and the support of military servicemembers and their families. He was able to do this so successfully by working across the aisle, leading with facts, and treating everyone with respect. How he would have loved to be present at the commissioning of the ship that bears his name."
Levin understood that the dedication and sacrifice of American servicemembers was indispensable to America's military power and prioritized how his decisions would affect servicemembers and their families. At the same time, he recognized that American power and influence depended on more than the operations under the jurisdiction of the Armed Services Committee. His friend and Senate colleague Jack Reed said at Levin's memorial service, "when Senator Levin took on his duties on the Armed Services Committee, he understood that national security was not just military power, it is the marshalling of our diplomatic power, our moral authority, our economic power, and he strove to integrate all of those factors to build a stronger America. And he succeeded spectacularly."
When Levin retired, Sen. John McCain remarked on the Senate floor that, "Carl might never have served in the military, but he has surely served the military well, and he has served the national interests our Armed Forces protect in an exemplary matter that the rest of us would be wise to emulate."
Upon retirement, Levin returned to Detroit to teach and establish the Levin Center at Wayne State University Law School, which promotes high quality oversight in Congress and the 50 state legislatures through oversight workshops, research, events, commentary, and other activities. He passed away in 2021.
The ship, which will be homeported at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, will be the 72nd Arleigh Burke-class destroyer to be commissioned, with 17 additional ships currently under contract for the DDG 51 program. The ship is configured as a Flight IIA destroyer, which enables power projection and delivers quick reaction time, high firepower, and increased electronic countermeasures capability for anti-air warfare. The USS Carl M. Levin is 509.5 feet long and 59 feet wide, with a displacement of 9,496 tons. The ship's crew includes seven servicemembers from Michigan.
