Armed Forces News

The Navy will name its next Arleigh Burke-class destroyer the Delbert D. Black, after the service’s first master chief petty officer. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus made the announcement at a March 13 ceremony at the U.S. Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C. Like other vessels in its class, the Delbert D. Black will be capable of speeds in excess of 30 knots. It will be 509 feet long and have 59-foot beam. The ship is under construction at Hunting Ingalls Industry Shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss.