BENFOLD (DDG 65)
The guided missile destroyer Benfold (DDG 65) will be christened at 11 a.m. on
Saturday, November 12, 1994, at Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, Mississippi.
The ship is named in honor of Hospital Corpsman Third Class Edward Clyde
Benfold, U.S. Navy (1931-1952), who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor
for extraordinary heroism in the Korean Conflict.
Dr. Paul Kaminski, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Technology,
will be the ceremony's principal speaker. The ship's sponsor is Mrs. Dorothy
Waida, widow of the ship's namesake. She will break a bottle of champagne
across the bow in the age old Navy tradition, and formally name the ship.
Benfold is the 15th of 29 Arleigh Burke class ships currently authorized by
Congress. These multi-mission ships are equipped with the Navy's modern Aegis
combat weapons system, which combines space-age communication, radar and
weapons technologies in a single platform for unlimited flexibility. These new
destroyers will replace older, less capable ships that are being taken out of
service as the Navy reduces spending while maintaining quality as part of its
overall plan to recapitalize the fleet. These versatile ships are designed to
operate independently or in support of aircraft carrier and amphibious
operations.
Benfold is equipped to carry Standard surface-to-air missiles and Tomahawk
cruise missiles launched from forward and aft vertical launching systems; two
fully automated, radar controlled Phalanx close-in weapon systems; Harpoon
anti-ship missiles; one five-inch gun and electronic warfare systems. The ship
is 505 feet in length, has a waterline beam of 66 feet and displaces
approximately 8,422 tons fully loaded. The ship will have a crew of 26
officers, 24 chief petty officers, and 291 enlisted personnel.
