HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding Authenticates Keel of Destroyer Thad Cochran (DDG 135)
PASCAGOULA, Miss., Oct. 23, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HII’s (NYSE: HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding authenticated the keel today of Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer Thad Cochran (DDG 135). The ship honors Thad Cochran, a Navy veteran and former U.S. senator who represented Mississippi from 1978 to 2018. Ceremony attendees included Cochran’s wife and ship sponsor Kay Webber Bowen Cochran and Ingalls shipbuilders.
Thad Cochran was an unwavering supporter of the U.S. military. Throughout Cochran’s career, he championed critical national security priorities, secured essential defense funding for shipbuilding nationwide and in Mississippi, and held a pivotal role in delivering billions in recovery aid to Mississippi following Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
“Senator Cochran’s leadership and steadfast support for Mississippi, including ensuring that Ingalls shipbuilders remained at the heart of America’s naval strength, laid the foundation for the strong program of work that continues at Ingalls today,” said Brian Blanchette Ingalls Shipbuilding president. “Our shipbuilders remain committed to delivering the most powerful destroyers to the U.S. Navy and I look forward to the day DDG 135 sails from Pascagoula, carrying the name, strength and legacy of Senator Thad Cochran.”
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Ingalls Structural Welder Thomas Ward welded the initials of two authenticators — the ship sponsor and wife of the namesake Kay Webber Bowen Cochran, and George Nungesser, a 37-year and second generation shipbuilder and soon to be retired vice president of program management — onto a steel plate, signifying the keel of DDG 135 to be “truly and fairly laid.” The plate will be affixed to the ship and remain there throughout its lifetime.
“Today’s ceremony is a momentous occasion that Thad would have cherished deeply, especially knowing a ship named in his honor was being built at the very shipyard he advocated for in the Senate,” Kay Cochran said. “To all the outstanding shipbuilders working on this destroyer, your work is essential. I am proud to witness your craftsmanship, knowing that Thad’s legacy of service and commitment to our nation will be embodied in this vessel for decades to come.”
Thad Cochran (DDG 135) is one of five Flight III destroyers currently under construction at Ingalls and represents the next generation of surface combatants for the U.S. Navy incorporating a number of design modifications that collectively provide significantly enhanced capability. To date, Ingalls has delivered 35 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers including the first Flight III, , and is currently constructing Ted Stevens (DDG 128), and is currently underway for its second trials, Jeremiah Denton (DDG 129), George M. Neal (DDG 131), Sam Nunn (DDG 133) and Thad Cochran (DDG 135).
As the largest manufacturing employer in Mississippi, Ingalls Shipbuilding has designed, built and maintained amphibious ships and destroyers for the U.S. Navy for over 86 years. To learn more about the DDG 51 Arleigh Burke-class destroyer program at Ingalls work visit: .
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