BATH, Maine — An Arleigh Burke-class destroyer built at Bath Iron Works a decade ago is scheduled to travel to New Zealand next month, the first U.S. warship to do so since the country banned nuclear ships in the 1980s.
The USS Sampson, launched at the Bath shipyard in November 2007, has been approved to attend the Royal New Zealand Navy’s 75th anniversary celebration in Auckland from Nov. 17 to Nov. 22, Reuters first reported Monday.
In the mid-1980s, the New Zealand government banned ships that were nuclear-powered or nuclear-armed, but the U.S. would not say if its ships were either.
New Zealand Prime Minister John Key said in an Oct. 18 release that after careful consideration, he was confident the USS Sampson is neither.
“New Zealand looks forward to the USS Sampson’s participation in the International Naval Review to mark the Royal New Zealand Navy’s 75th anniversary,” Key said. “The visit is a further reflection of the depth of the bilateral relationship with the United States.”