Delivery of the future USS Daniel Inouye by Bath Iron Works, initially scheduled for late 2018, has been delayed more than a year because of the complexity of building three Zumwalt-class destroyers, a Hawaii newspaper reported Tuesday.
Construction of the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer (DDG 118) began at the Bath shipyard in April 2015. The ship is only 44 percent complete, the Honolulu Star Advertiser reported Tuesday.
A ceremonial keel-laying for the destroyer, named for Medal of Honor winner U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye, is scheduled for May 15 at the shipyard, military.com reported. Inouye’s widow, Irene Hirano Inouye, will sponsor the ship and take part in the proceedings.
The schedule was modified because of construction of the “stealth” DDG 1000-class destroyers at BIW, according to the Star Advertiser.
“Capt. Casey Moton, the Arleigh Burke program manager, said in an email that ‘in late 2016, the Navy and Bath Iron Works mutually agreed on ship schedule adjustments’ for Bath to more efficiently sequence their ship construction efforts for the Zumwalt class and the restart of the Arleigh Burke class production line,” the Star Advertiser reported Tuesday.
That change moved the delivery date of the Inouye to April 2020.
Bath Iron Works spokesman David Hench did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment on Tuesday.
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